Finding His Carissimi
by Starrgirlfish
Summary: In a beautiful field out in the middle of nowhere, Klaus stumbles upon Ella. Why does an unseemly human have such power over him? And what if his simultaneous fears come true: what if he both accepts her and loses her for good? Klaus/OC
1. The Field Started It All

Ella took a few moments to bask in the scenery; flowers of every color bloomed in clusters all around the grass where she sat. The sky was a perfect clear blue, with not a single cloud in sight. This beautiful and secluded field was Ella's most favorite and treasured spot; she couldn't imagine a more perfect and peaceful place. As an empath who could feel and interpret the emotions of others, expelling all the emotions she retained was near impossible. Unless of course she spent time in nature; the build-up of emotions people unconsciously sent her would always fade away once her fingertips touched earth's natural ground. She assumed it had something to do with expelling all of the energies from the emotions back into mother-nature. But that was just a logical guess, she really had no clue why it helped her. Ella often wished she had an on and off switch for her supernatural abilities, the desire to feel normal was something she had always struggled with. She envied people who just lived their life naive as to what others felt around them: anger, sadness, lust, deceitfulness, etc. Being an empath was more often than not just plain exhausting.

Very slowly Ella closed her eyelids and turned her head up to the sun, its warmth comforted her face. Slightly resigned, Ella quietly talked out loud to herself. "I suppose you can't change who you innately are, no matter how much you want to."

"Well love, I wouldn't be so sure. You seem to be underestimating the power of control." The voice popped up from seemingly nowhere, completely frightening Ella. "My philosophy has always been that you alone are in control of your destiny, you just have to go out and seize it."

Startled, Ella gasped and turned around with her eyes wide open; the most gorgeous man she had ever seen was staring curiously back at her. He had curly blondish hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to reach into her very soul, but surprisingly she could not read any emotion off of him. _How is this possible? No one has ever been a blank slate to me before. _She thought it peculiar that a man she had never met before was dishing out life advice. She didn't even hear the rustling of the grass when he came up next to her.

"I'm sorry my dear; I did not mean to disturb you, you seemed quite content." The strange man had a British accent and his head was tilted slightly to the side. He was still staring at her; he seemed fascinated as though she was this intriguing puzzle—an enigma.

Still slightly startled Ella asked, "Where…where did you come from? You just suddenly appeared; I'm positive I didn't have my eyes closed for too long and it is so secluded up here."

He just continued staring at her, still not looking at anything else. His smile reached far into his face, but even with his dimples something still looked off, perhaps even scary.

Ella wished she could read his emotions, or at least his intentions. "Are you lost? There isn't really anything around here for miles." Ella said in an attempt to coax something out of him.

The strange man gave a small chuckle, "Yes, it is quite remote—you actually surprised me too. Again, I'm so sorry if I startled you, that wasn't my intention."

In watching his charismatic face light up, Ella calmed a little and felt a bit more comfortable, "It's no problem; I guess I'm just used to only the flowers for company up here."

He smirked as though he found that amusing, "You come here often then?"

"Yeah, it helps clear my mind—I tend, um..well, I tend to get stressed quite a bit. This place has always relaxed me." Ella replied cautiously as her mind still reeled with possibilities. She had never encountered anyone up here before; it was always completely remote, not a living soul. _But why is he all the way out here? Maybe he's a hunter?..._

"Do you hunt?" Ella asked, forming her thoughts into words.

At Ella's inquiry the strange man gave her a half-smile, "Oh yes, I do enjoy a good hunt."

Something within Ella tensed at those words and she took a small step back, but a rock caught on her heel making her trip and fall backwards. The strange man quickly stepped forward to her rescue, perhaps a little too fast, and grabbed her arm to steady her. But as soon as he touched Ella his entire body shook with spasms and his knees gave way to the ground. Once he was on the ground his body still gave way to slight shakes.

Ella managed to stay steady and reached down, touching him slightly on his still shaking shoulder, "Oh my god, are you okay?" Ella had no idea what to do or what had caused this; she had no idea how she was going to get medical attention—her cell phone didn't have service in this area. "I mean, obviously you're not okay, but I...I don't know how to help you." She panicked, trying to remember what her first aid classes taught to do.

The strange man jerked out of her touch and gulped in huge breaths of air, trying to regulate his breathing and calm his body. He _hated_ seeming weak and he had no idea what was happening to him. Obviously it had something to do with this despicable creature touching him. "Don't you dare touch me!" Snarling he scrambled back onto his feet and looked at Ella as though she was poison in the flesh.

Ella was entirely confused by this exchange, "Do you suffer from regular seizures? I have a car not too far from here—I think there might be a small clinic down a ways that we can go to. I also have water, do you need…"

The strange man harshly cut her off, "What is your name?"

"Ella. My name is Ella." She stated still slightly scared that he would start having spasms again, or worse, attack her based on how he was looking at her now.

The strange man stared off into the distance as though he was reminiscing about something in the past; he kept saying Ella's name under his breath. Suddenly he stopped and looked pointedly at Ella, "Were you born in the winter months, abandoned by your parents and left out in the snow to die?"

Ella tensed in fear. _How could he possibly know that? Who is this man?_

"Answer me!" the strange man screamed at her, seeming to get more and more unstable as the seconds passed by. He cut off the space between them and took her hand into his. This time, her touch had no negative effect on him. He made sure to make eye contact with Ella's eyes and enunciated in a very demanding tone, "Tell me the truth."

Ella could have sworn she saw his eyes expand a little. _Maybe he's on drugs?_ She struggled, trying to get him to release her hand, "Let me go!" Ella screamed, now completely scared of this man.

The strange man's face suddenly looked like he was in pain and he quickly released her hand muttering under his breath what appeared to sound like, "Of course it doesn't work on her."

"I don't…I don't understand." Ella breathily asked, scared of what this strange man wanted from her. She wished more than anything that she could feel his intentions and what it was he wanted. She racked her mind for anything she had learned over the years for the best ways to converse with someone who was possibly mentally ill. _But, but...how did he know that information about me? _Instead of trying to converse with him, the smarter choice was to probably get the hell out. Her eyes shifted back to the path to her car, trying to decide when would be the best time to make a run for it.

But the man surprised her, suddenly rearranging his facial expressions into compassion and concern. "Ella, I'm…I'm so, so sorry. You look so frightened. Look, you were right before…I do have seizures and they cause me to behave irrationally. I apologize that you were here to witness it." His eyes took on an intensity as he took a step in her direction, "Please, it is not my intention to frighten you my carissimi. I would never, ever intentionally hurt you. I really am at a loss as to what came over me."

Ella looked up at his concerned face; she had always been able to tell what people truly felt—until now. It scared her not being able to tell if he was lying. Her gut told her that a lot of what he just said was designed to placate her, she felt like he was naturally a very manipulative person.

"Look, can we just start again? My name is Niklaus Mikaelson, but I prefer Klaus." He said in a calm and charming tone. He reached up to Ella's face and brushed away a tear that she didn't even know was there. "There we go, all better."

Ella looked into his eyes and still felt unnerved, but she was curious about something strange he said earlier, "What does carissimi mean?"

Klaus looked startled for a second but quickly composed himself, "What?"

Ella narrowed her eyes, he definitely knew what she was talking about; she didn't know why he was pretending,"Before, you called me carissimi—that's a different language, right?"

Klaus didn't answer her question, giving Ella a small half smile instead, "I should probably go; I have important business to attend to. This is a really beautiful field though, I don't blame you for coming up to enjoy its beauty."

Ella wasn't sure if his business excuse was plausible, he just seemed to want to avoid her question, "Oh, your business must be in Mystic Falls—that's the only place close around here that has actual city life. Are you looking for somewhere in particular? I know that place like the back of my hand."

Klaus' half smile slowly dropped, "You live in Mystic Falls?" he asked in a barely there panicked voice. But Ella had more experience than most in hearing the emotions of people's voices so she detected it.

"Yep, all my life—my adopted family raised me there."

Klaus took a deep breath and pulled what appeared to be a very old photo from his pocket and showed it to her, "Do you know this woman?"

Ella's eyes widened a bit. _That's Elena Gilbert. __What does this man want with Elena? _Ella knew this girl had recently suffered the loss of her parents, so she decided to trust her instinct and lie. "No, I'm sorry Klaus I don't know her. What business do you have with her? She looks pretty young."

Klaus narrowed his eyes and mocked her. "I thought you knew Mystic Falls like the back of your hand?"

Ella scoffed at his manipulation tactic,"Places, not people." Ella calmly retorted. "How do you know this girl is even in Mystic Falls?"

"My many sources." Klaus replied still eyeing her suspiciously, Ella was certain he knew she was lying.

Ella rolled her eyes; this man, _Klaus_, was a very strange person. But nothing was stranger to Ella than experiencing his emotions like a normal person rather than just feeling it through her body. But while that was frightening, in some ways she felt it was quite freeing. Ella realized that even though he seemed dark and manipulative (he was certainly hiding something that went a lot deeper than just searching for Elena Gilbert), a very small part of her wished for more conversations with him. Even though it was scary, being seemingly normal felt good. All her life she had been searching for moments to feel normal.

Ella gestured over to where her car was parked; she decided to leave before she got even more entangled in this man's strangeness,"Perhaps I'll see you around Mystic Falls, I hope your business goes well."

Klaus gave Ella a smile for that comment, "Oh yes, I'm predicting it will go very well indeed."

Ella started to turn around to head out when Klaus called out her name, "Ella, hold on one second."

Ella stopped and watched Klaus walk over to a blue flower and delicately pick it from the base. He twirled it around in his hands and then walked over to her and placed it behind a strand of her blonde hair, "It matches your eyes."

Ella's breathing suddenly became uneven and she could literally feel her heart pumping blood faster through her body. _How is it possible for someone this beautiful and charismatic to even exist? Sure, he's a bit strange...but isn't everyone sometimes?_

Ella gave him a small thank you and then turned around and started skipping back in the general direction of her car, completely unaware that as he watched her skip off he answered one of her earlier questions, "Carissimi is Latin for 'dearly beloved'."

**AN: I adore reviews, please leave me one. Also, if you are coming back to this story, I completely gutted the first chapter and changed my writing style so sorry if things look a little different than they did before. Oh, and what authors always say about leaving reviews is true, it totally helps the creative process along and gives me more incentives to update. So if you can, please review. :)**

**Edited the chapter on 2/9/14**


	2. Unravel Your Carissimi Secrets

**AN: Hope you guys enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely NOTHING even remotely related to The Vampire Diaries. **

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><p>Klaus was still standing in the field long after Ella left; the peacefulness of the entire nature scene seemed to mock him, an internal battle taking place in his mind. He could not bring himself to move; he had finally met her, he had finally met <em>Ella. <em>Klaus didn't think this day would ever come, he thought the old witch had just made up her vision as a poor attempt to frighten him because he killed her family. But her vision was true, it was _all_ true; he felt the power of the curse slam down upon him when he touched her, there was no escaping it now. _I just need to find the doppelgänger and perform the sacrifice before Ella has a chance to wield any more power over me. _Klaus started pacing back and forth as his past memories came down on him in waves.

_Flashback 1492_

An old witch draped herself over her dead family's bodies, visible vampire teeth marks were embedded on the flesh of their necks. Klaus watched her crying and felt no emotion; no pity, nothing. He only had one goal: to reactivate his werewolf gene and turn back into the hybrid he was before his mother cursed him. He wanted to be all powerful and this witch had refused to help him, she was warned that she would pay the price for her mistakes and now she most certainly was. Satisfied with what he did, Klaus turned to leave the witch to her misery, but stopped when she suddenly starting speaking.

"The spirits have shown me so much, you're not nearly as powerful as you think you are." She stood up and stepped away from one of her dead family members, "You are egotistical and evil; you are a weak creature of the night, but I have seen your tipping point. It is actually quite beautiful; the universe will soon see to your punishment."

Klaus turned back around and angrily spat, "Well your pathetic family would think differently; I'm more powerful than any silly spirits who talk to you. You won't be able to stop me, no one will. When I reach my goal, I will crush anything the universe throws my way. And trust me, my goal will be reached!"

The old witch suddenly gave out a short laugh and gleefully revealed, "No you won't. You will be stopped." She clasped her hands together and continued, "It's the perfect revenge,I only wish I will be around to see it happen."The witch locked eyes with him, "Rest assured I will certainly be watching and guiding from above."

Klaus narrowed his eyes and quickly vampire sped over, lifting her off the ground by her neck, "What are you rambling on about, who will stop me? My father? One of my siblings? Will Elijah betray me?" Klaus realized she couldn't answer so he let go of her neck and she dropped to the ground.

The old witch took in a deep breath of air and slowly turned her head up towards Klaus, "It will be _her-_-Ella, your carissimi."

Klaus' eyes widened and he took a step back, "That's just a superstition; the carissimi curse doesn't really exist for vampires, I'm the oldest one and I've _never_ encountered any vampire with it. Besides, I'm an Original, I'd most likely be immune."

The old witch gave a small chuckle, "Of course you've never encountered any vampire afflicted with the carissimi curse. Do you really think any vampire would let any harm come to their carissimi? Or if they were powerful do you really think that they would let it be known that there is a human walking around that has the potential to wield complete control over them?"

Klaus turned his head away from the witch and started breathing harshly.

"No, of course not." The witch said and a smile crept onto her face. "Of course, with you the effects of the curse will be magnified because you are an Original; it won't just be uncomfortable if you refuse the demands of your carissimi, it will be extremely painful and will only get worse the longer you refuse her."

Klaus snarled and took a menacing step towards the witch, "I'll just kill this woman before she can infect me. Who is she, where is she?"

The old witch slowly got up from off the ground where Klaus had dropped her and glanced at her family's bodies. She angrily whispered her vision to Klaus, "Her name is Ella. She will be born in the winter months and left out in the snow to die. You will grow complacent for many years and will believe what I am telling you is a lie, designed only to scare you, an act of revenge for my family. You'll meet her in a place very close to your carissimi's heart. She will be the one to stop you from activating your werewolf gene, but eventually you won't mind. Like all vampires inflicted with the curse do, you will fall head over heels for this girl. Her suffering will become your suffering, her demands will become your to-do list. She's very special, much more-so than an average human." The old witch stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, "And when you become happy, more happy and content then you have ever felt in your life, she will be taken away from you, she'll die." The old witch started smiling, "And that is the moment when all of your victims will have their revenge, her death will destroy you."

Klaus started shaking his head, "Lies! You are making this up, there is no way I would allow myself to fall for a lowly human. It's just completely absurd, and I will never let anything stop me from breaking the curse my mother put on me. I will succeed."

The witch just laughed, "But don't you understand _Niklaus_? This girl will be able to demand you to stop your plans to sacrifice the doppelgänger; you will have no choice but to comply."

Klaus closed the distance between himself and the old witch and whispered, "You are mistaken." Klaus then tore inside the old witch and pulled her heart out and dropped it to the floor. "I will not allow anything to get in my way, even my carissimi."

_End of Flashback_

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><p>Ella couldn't stop thinking about Klaus. But more importantly she wondered why he was even looking for Elena. He in no way looked like an old high school classmate of hers, but perhaps since he's looking for her she knows him? Ella's curiosity won out and she decided to go pay the Gilbert family a visit. She wasn't that close with them, but she went to high school with Jenna and they were pretty friendly to each other. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch if she dropped by to offer her condolences and perhaps give them a plate of cookies.<p>

Fifteen minutes later with a plate of cookies in her hand Ella knocked on the Gilbert family's door.

The door opened to reveal Elena and Ella was suddenly panged with lingering sadness coming in small waves off of Elena, "Ella! Wow, I haven't seen you in awhile. Um, Jenna's at the University right now. Do you need me to leave a message for her?"

Ella shifted her feet a little and nervously spoke, "Actually, Elena I just wanted to check up on your entire family, I'm so sorry that you lost your parents and I should have come by sooner, but you know...bad memories. So I brought delicious cookies, can I come in?"

Elena's face registered surprise but she quickly said, "Sure, I hope you don't mind, my boyfriend and his brother are here visiting as well."

Ella stepped in and saw both Salvatore brothers sitting on the couch. She'd seen them around town a few times but had never really spoken to them before. Although, whenever she did see them, she noticed that their emotions seemed to be stronger and more complete than what she normally felt from people. At the moment Ella sensed that they both felt slightly worried and that worry was directed towards Elena. But Ella also felt the deep love and loyalty they felt towards her, it was so powerful she had to regain her focus by taking a breath. _Wow, Elena must have her hands full with them. _

"Oh no problem, I hope you both like cookies, they're snickerdoodles." Ella said while smiling politely at them. She placed the cookies on the coffee table.

Damon smirked and reached for one, "With a name like 'snickerdoodle', how could you not?"

Stefan politely declined, but looked thoughtfully over at Ella and asked, "So, how do you know Elena?"

"I'm Ella, I went to high school with her aunt Jenna." Ella turned to where Elena was sitting on the piano bench and decided to take a seat on the armchair, "I'm so sorry to drop by with no notice Elena, but I came across a really strange man today and he showed me your picture, he said he was looking for you. Do you happen to know a Klaus?"

Ella could feel the panic levels of all three of them raise significantly as soon as she said Klaus' name. Both Stefan and Damon rose from the couch and started pacing, while Elena's mouth dropped open in shock.

Damon was the first to react, "Klaus? Are you sure this man said his name is Klaus?"

Ella stumbled for words for a few second, "Yes, that's um...that's what he told me. What's going on? Do you know this man?"

"Please you need to tell us everything that happened. Did you tell him you knew Elena? Did you tell him how to find her?" Stefan asked in a increasingly desperate tone.

Ella quickly tried to placate them, "No, no...I swear I didn't. He was acting very strange so I trusted my instincts and lied. I didn't tell him anything about Elena, he does not know that I know her." Ella stopped and let out a sigh, "But I don't think he believed me, he seemed awfully suspicious."

Damon stopped pacing and turned to Stefan, "Maybe he followed her, do you think she's under compulsion, he would have tried to use that if he didn't believe her. Perhaps he's compelled her to help him." Damon started to take steps towards Ella, "We need to be sure."

Ella was beginning to get really freaked out, "Compulsion? What are you talking about, is this man dangerous?"

Damon stopped right in front of Ella and made eye contact with her. His eyes expanded just like Klaus' had in the field and Ella felt herself go into a trance-like state.

"Damon, come-on just wait a sec." Elena called out to him.

"Stefan, tell dear Elena here that this is necessary to see what Klaus did to her. He let Ella go alive, of course he did something to her...this is Klaus we are talking about. He's not really one to just make random conversation with a human if you know what I mean."

Stefan sighed and shrugged his shoulders, "Damon's right Elena, he has to do this."

At Elena's reluctant nod, Damon began to ask Ella questions. "Did Klaus compel you? Did he ask you to help him obtain Elena in some way, is this a trap?"

Ella still under the compulsion robotically replied, "The only thing he asked me is if I knew the person in the photograph he showed me, I lied and told him I didn't."

Slightly frustrated, Damon continued to ask, "But when you lied to him, didn't he come up and make eye contact which compelled you to tell him the truth, just like what you are doing right now with me?"

"No."

"No?...But, did you see him try? Did you ever see his eyes expand?" Damon asked bewildered.

"Yes, but that was before he showed me the photo. I thought that maybe he was under the influence of drugs. He was screaming at me to answer him, he seemed so desperate."

"What did he want you to answer?"

In a still completely robotic tone Ella answered, "Somehow he knew...somehow he knew that my birth parents left me to die out in the snow all those years ago. He also knew I was born in the winter time, he wanted to know if all of that was true."

Stefan and Elena turned to each other in confused stares. They seemed to both be at a loss as to why Klaus would want to know that about Ella. Damon narrowed his eyes that were still locked on Ella and asked, "And what did you say to him?"

"Nothing. I was just shocked, I didn't answer him."

"Wait...you were able to resist answering? You didn't feel compelled to confirm to him that, that stuff he said about you was true?"

"No, I just screamed at him to let me go because his grasp was starting to hurt me; I was pretty freaked out. After I did that he said, 'Of course it doesn't work on her'."

Stefan stepped forward and asked Damon, "What is she talking about? You are using compulsion on her right now and it is working perfectly. Why would it not work for Klaus? That doesn't make any sense..."

Damon sighed, "I don't know brother, let's try and find out." With the compulsion still in place he asked, "Ella, think for a moment...do you remember anything strange about how Klaus acted around you? Did he do or say anything off-putting?"

Ella reached back into her mind and then blankly stated, "Carissimi. He called me his carissimi and then seemed shaken when I asked him what that word meant."

Damon's eyes widened and Stefan under his breath muttered, "That's not possible...it's not real."

Elena looked around confused, "What does carissimi mean? What do you mean it's not possible?"

As the wheels started turning in Damon's head, Stefan carefully started to answer, "It's supposedly just a superstitious tale, its purpose is to frighten vampires. Carissimi is Latin for 'dearly beloved'."

Still confused Elena asked, "Dearly beloved? What's so frightening about that? Are you saying that Klaus can actually care and perhaps value a person?"

Stefan shook his head, "The meaning of the word doesn't just stop at caring or valuing a human life, it's thought of as a curse or affliction because a vampire cannot refuse the demand of their carissimi. The human could possibly order the vampire to kill her/himself, the vampire would eventually give in; refusing your carissimi is said to become quite uncomfortable as time goes on and the more powerful the vampire, the more potent the pain and hold the curse has over the vampire."

Damon chose to interrupt, "And Klaus is an Original, one of if not _the_ most powerful vampire in existence. If the tale is true, then little Ella here would be able to take him down with just a few simple words."

"But wait! Elena exclaimed. "Why didn't Klaus just kill her when he realized what she was to him?"

Stefan gave a little sigh and explained, "He probably didn't find out until he first touched her. It is said that, that moment is when the vampire realizes the hold the human has over him/her. The carissimi's pain becomes the vampire's pain, Ella's suffering and probably any form of physical harm to her, especially her death, will likely turn Klaus crazy. If this is true and the carissimi affliction really exists, it means that Klaus is so connected to her, eventually it will be inevitable that she will come to mean the world to him."

"Well since Klaus let Ella walk away without compelling or harming her, I think it is probably pretty safe to say that the carissimi curse does exist." Elena thoughtfully stated.

"And we can use that to our advantage." Damon gleefully revealed. "We can compel her to demand Klaus to kill himself the next time she sees him."

Stefan started to rub his eyes with his hand and Elena gasped, "No...we can't compel Ella to be a murderer! Besides, we don't even know if it is possible to kill an Original, Elijah didn't die when you staked him Damon. And we don't even know if Klaus is truly afflicted with the carissimi curse. We need to touch bases and see what we're up against. If he is affected by it, how much? Is it different for Originals in some way you don't know about? Perhaps the superstitious stories are crap and the carissimi curse works in a different way." Elena took a deep breath, "There are just too many variables here. I say we compel her to forget our conversation, but the next time she sees Klaus she should immediately text us where she is. Elijah can help us stay hidden and we can watch how he interacts with her, what kind of hold she has on him. We can then regroup from there and decide how to proceed."

Stefan nodded his head, "I agree, there are too many things we don't know."

Damon turned and slammed his fist into the wall, "Idiots! He could take her somewhere so that we will never find her again, we have to use this chance while we still can!"

Startled, Elena slowly walked over to Damon and gently placed her fingers on his shoulder, "Damon...please, calm down. Look at Ella over there..."

Damon huffed and turned his head to look at Ella, still in a trance-like state and not moving.

Elena started pleading, "She's a really nice person. She doesn't deserve to be used like this, much less become a murderer. She came and sought me out. She obviously is entranced by him in some way, perhaps he now has a hold over her too. She deserves to make her own decisions on what to force Klaus to do. Once we know more about this situation, we should let her know what's going on. She'll help us, I know she will. She won't allow Klaus to use me to break the sun and moon curse."

Stefan agreed with Elena, "She's right Damon. Come on, let's follow Elena's plan."

Damon turned back to Elena, "Fine, but I'm only doing this because you asked me to. I don't agree with this at all. We could end all this chaos, right here...right now, with her." He pointed at Ella and then moved his finger over to Elena, "This is foolish."

Elena sighed, "I know...I know. Thank you."

Damon walked back over to Ella and started compelling her, "Ella, you will go home now. You will not remember this conversation. The only thing you will remember is going over to the Gilbert's house and giving Elena the cookies. When you asked about Klaus, she said she didn't know him. The next time you see Klaus, immediately text Elena your location."

Ella repeated her compulsion back to Damon and then slowly came out of it, "Um, well...it was nice to see you again Elena. Please, enjoy the cookies." Ella turned to go walk out the door to go home.

Elena laughed a little, "Yeah, thank you so much. I'm sure Jeremy will really like them if Damon doesn't eat them all by then."

Damon rolled his eyes, "Oh, right because Mr. Moody-Teenager really needs all that sugar."

Ella smiled and continued to leave, but as she was leaving she wondered why she sensed guilt in Elena.

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><p>Ella walked into her apartment and immediately sensed something was wrong. While closing the door she tried to reach out to see if she could sense anyone. Nothing, not even her roommate Samantha was home. Ella walked over to the kitchen counter and put her car keys down. She turned to the cupboard to get a glass for water.<p>

"Thirsty now are we? Perhaps I can help with that."

Ella jumped and let go of the glass, it shattered on the ground. She quickly spun around and came face to face with _Klaus_.

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><p><strong>AN: Yay, I updated. I'd love to hear what you think...please review. :)<strong>


	3. If Only I Couldn't Obey You

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well, maybe Ella. :)**

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><p>Klaus looked at the small, frightened girl who stood in front of him with glass shattered all around her. This girl—Ella, the one the old witch so long ago foretold would destroy everything he had worked so hard for. Klaus felt himself grow angry that he was now in this position, he was already beginning to feel the effects of the carissimi curse—he could faintly feel her fear. He remembered the words the old witch told him: <em>Her pain will become your pain.<em>

"How…how did you get in here?" Ella gaped in surprise and struggled to say, "How...how did you even find me? I don't understand…" an increasingly more frightened Ella stuttered.

Klaus took small steps towards her with his hands raised in a non-threatening manner, "Your roommate—what was her name? Ah, yes…the lovely Samantha, she kindly invited me in to wait for you as she was heading out to the gym, very friendly." He then stopped in front of her and shook his head, "I continue to startle you Ella, I'm sorry—please don't be frightened."

Ella took a deep breath to calm down, "You didn't tell me why you're here—or more importantly how you even knew I lived here. Tell me."

_Dammit, a demand._ Klaus felt something deep within him respond to her words. He wanted to see how his body would react so he purposely delayed telling her anything. Not even five seconds went by before he felt intense stabbing pains—like needles jabbing holes into his brain. Klaus tensed his body up to combat the pain. _How much more intense will it be if she actually puts effort into demanding me to do something?_

Not wanting Ella to notice his pain, Klaus quickly answered as vague as the curse would allow him, "It's a pretty small town—I asked around and people led me to this place. I must say, it's quite a charming little apartment. As for why I'm here, do you remember the photo I showed you earlier? I felt like you weren't…"

Klaus trailed off as he saw Ella sending a text. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Ella slightly shook her head as though she was coming out of a trance, "Um…I don't really know; I just felt like I needed to send a text."

Klaus grew suspicious—something wasn't right here, "Who did you send the text to?"

Ella's eyes widened and she shook her head and gave Klaus a fake smile, "No one important, now you were…"

Ella stopped mid-sentence when Klaus suddenly closed the distance between them and snatched her phone, "Hey…what are you doing?!" She tried to snatch it back but he easily evaded her, "That's mine!"

Klaus quickly looked at who she sent the text to before she could demand him to stop, "Elena…who's Elena? Why did you send her a text with your address?"

Confusion read on Ella's face, "What?...I don't know why I would do that." Ella looked down at the glass still on the ground and started muttering more-so to herself, "I mean, I visited her earlier today, but I don't remember making plans for her to come over to my place."

Klaus gently reached over a placed his fingers under her chin so she would look at him, "Who is Elena?" he asked softly.

Klaus noticed that Ella was really struggling with what to tell him, "Why does it matter?" she finally spat out to him.

Klaus smiled at Ella a little and replied, "Because you don't want to tell me, which means it affects me in some way. If I was to take a guess, I'd say that Elena looks like the photo I showed you in the field. Even more troubling, is why you would text this address to her."

Ella's eyes widened and she pleadingly asked, "Why are you looking for her Klaus? She's been through so much this past year." She turned her head away from Klaus, "Normally I can read people very well—it scares me that I can't with you. Are you…are you dangerous?"

Klaus slowly moved his fingers up from Ella's chin to her cheek and stroked it softly, "I can tell you right now, it doesn't matter what happens—I'll never be a danger to you."

Ella stepped back from him; she didn't respond to his comment and instead went to a closet and pulled out a broom to sweep up the glass still on the floor.

As Ella was sweeping up the glass Klaus decided to ask, "Why did you go over to Elena's house today Ella?"

"I was curious about you; I thought maybe she knew who you are."

"What did she say?"

"She just said she didn't know you..." Ella trailed off at that, "But she was scared—they all were."

Klaus narrowed his eyes, "Wait…all?"

"Yeah, Elena wasn't alone. She was with her boyfriend Stefan Salvatore and his brother Da—ouch."

Klaus saw her bloody fingers and could faintly feel her pain from when she snagged her fingers on the glass. He quickly pulled her to a standing position and led her over to the sink so he could wash her cut.

Ella hissed in pain and tears started forming in her eyes, "I'm such a klutz."

Klaus turned off the water and led her to the living room. He seated her on the couch and then knelt on the floor in front of her and examined her cut, "I don't think you'll need stitches, the glass didn't do too much damage. Do you have any band-aids?"

Ella blinked and a few tears fell from her eyes—Klaus quickly reached up and stroked them away, "Yeah, they're in the bathroom in the first drawer under the sink." Ella told him.

Klaus got up from the floor and went to the bathroom to retrieve the band aids. As he settled back down in front of Ella with the box of band aids in his hand he heard her voice ask him, "What you said before about how you will never be a danger to me—you didn't say you weren't dangerous; you just said you weren't a danger to me."

"Clever girl…" Klaus softly muttered. He took out the band aids and started gently wrapping one around each injury on her fingers. The smell of her blood was starting to get to him and he had to control himself so he wouldn't show her his vampire eyes.

Suddenly Klaus remembered what Ella was telling him before she injured herself with the glass. _Stefan Salvatore is in Mystic Falls and is the doppelgänger's boyfriend?_ It was all starting to make sense to Klaus now. Of course the Salvatore brothers would be scared if Ella mentioned his name. Klaus suspected that they probably compelled her to forget their questioning and then made her text them as soon as he visited Ella again. _That means they're here…they've been watching. _

Klaus now finished with the band-aids stood up and taunted with his hands wide in the air, "Come out, come out from wherever you are! I know you're here—you can't hide from me. You'll never be able to hide from me."

Ella scrunched her eyes in confusion, "Klaus what are you talking about? Who are you talking to?"

Klaus turned back to Ella, "Hush sweetheart." He then paced a little and called out, "Elijah is very handy teaching you how to spy on me. But there is no need to hide now—I already know you're the doppelgänger sweet _Elena_."

Everything then happened so fast—Stefan and Damon burst in and Ella gave a quick scream. Klaus turned around to see her passed out in his brother Elijah's arms; Klaus realized Elijah must have knocked her out.

Klaus didn't want to give anything away that they didn't already know so he confidently asked, "Why didn't Elena show up to this little party?"

Stefan and Damon remained silent while Elijah replied, "She's somewhere safe. That's more than what your dear carissimi can say." He then turned Ella in his arms so he could softly pat her head.

Klaus tensed. _Dammit, what do they know? _

Elijah smiled at Klaus, "To think, for centuries you have always been one step ahead of everyone—nothing could stop you from your end goal. You were the all-powerful one—you hunted down each of our brothers and sisters and took them away from me." Elijah stopped for a moment and brushed some of Ella's hair behind her ear, "To think, all I have to do now is simply squeeze the life out of one human girl—you will be ruined."

Klaus remained calm, "You know as well as I do that the carissimi curse is just a myth." Klaus shook his head, "It doesn't exist."

Elijah smiled and taunted, "Oh, is that so? Then why is it you can't compel her? Should I wake her up so we can have a demonstration of how you have to obey all her demands? I have to admit, I'm dying to see her command you to hop up and down on one foot for all of eternity."

Klaus took a few menacing steps towards Elijah, "She means nothing to me!"

"Well that's a load of bull." Damon muttered from behind Klaus.

Klaus remained rational, "Elijah, you're the _moral_ one—you're not going to sacrifice an innocent girl and be a coward." Klaus then whirled around and faced Stefan and Damon, "And you both value Elena's opinion of you—she's not going to allow you to kill a girl for her, she'd never forgive you if you did."

"You'd be surprised brother at just what I am willing to do in order to enact revenge on behalf of my family." Elijah patiently stated.

Klaus narrowed his eyes at Elijah, "Well I don't see how you're going to do it with this girl." He stated as casually as he could.

Elijah laughed, "It must be terrifying brother. I mean, it's only the beginning stages of the curse so of course you don't love her yet. But you're still deeply connected to her and what she feels. Humans are so fragile and pain comes so easily to them. She could get hit by a bus, get attacked by some thug and then it would be all over for you. Centuries of life, of planning to become _the_ most powerful vampire in existence—wasted all because of a lowly and insignificant human girl."

Klaus snarled at Elijah, "Ella will not stop me from returning to my former glory."

Stefan chimed in, "All we have to do is inform Ella of your destructive path and she will stop you."

"But that would entail the whole dreaded 'vampires are real' talk and the time it would take before she would actually believe you. Plus, it doesn't matter how you visually demonstrate your vampirism—the screaming never gets easier to handle." Klaus sarcastically replied.

With Ella still in his arms, Elijah walked over to her kitchen and pulled a long knife out from one of the drawers. He held it up to his face and started examining it.

Klaus' eyes widened, "What…what are you doing Elijah?"

"Her pain becomes your pain—or at least that's how the story goes."

Klaus started to panic and turned to Stefan—probably the vampire with the most humanity still left in him, "You're okay with this? You're going to allow him to torture her?"

Stefan took a deep breath, "If it means keeping Elena safe then…yes."

Klaus snarled and then turned back to his brother, "There was a time when you wanted to help me return to my former glory—we were partners. Torturing me via Ella isn't going to solve anything. What's your goal here—do you want to see me dead for what I've done?"

Elijah looked up from his examination and started softly tracing Ella's skin with the knife; Klaus was grateful that she was still passed out—her fear would probably be unbearable to him right now.

Elijah replied, "I have had so much taken away by you. It's only fair for me to take something from you."

Klaus nodded, "So your true motivation is revenge on behalf of our brothers and sisters. You don't really care if I break my curse and become a hybrid once again."

Elijah stopped tracing Ella's skin with the knife and looked up into Klaus' eyes—he gave a firm nod. "I could care less about the whole doppelgänger business. You just need to pay for what you've done and the universe has kindly given me a way to accomplish that." Elijah gave Klaus a wide smile, "I mean, of all the vampires in the universe—you, you were the one to get infected by this? I can't think of any other vampire who would abhor being tethered to a human more." Elijah shook his head in fake exasperation, "But not to worry Niklaus—I'll fix it."

Elijah swung down the knife and plunged it directly into Ella's stomach. Ella immediately woke up and started screaming out in pain as blood gushed from her newly inflicted wound.

Damon started yelling, "What the hell Elijah?"

"You weren't supposed to kill her!" Stefan cried out.

Klaus dropped to his knees and started panting—the pain he was starting to feel from the carissimi bond was so overwhelming he couldn't stand up. Klaus started pleading with Elijah, "Just let me heal her…please." He watched as Ella's pained eyes also started showing confusion as she looked at him.

Elijah gently placed Ella on the ground, "No…you're going to watch and feel her die. And then as the curse goes, I guess you'll become crazy; a shadow of your previous self—never whole again. This is the closest I suppose I can come to killing you."

Ella started gurgling blood from her mouth and tried to form words, but nothing could get out except the name _Klaus_. She kept repeating Klaus' name over and over.

"Shit, she needs blood man, or she's going to die!" Damon said as he made his way over to heal her.

Elijah stopped him by stabbing Damon in the stomach with a stake he had hidden in his suit front pocket. He then kicked Damon off to the side. "No one is going to save her." Elijah calmly remarked, making it clear by keeping eye contact with Stefan so he wouldn't try to help Ella either.

"You don't have to do this!" Stefan started pleading.

"Stefan, if you are not out of this apartment with your brother is thirty seconds I will cut each of your heads off. I've waited a long time for this revenge; I want only my brother here."

Stefan looked conflicted, he intensely looked at Ella, but ultimately sped over to his brother and vampire sped them both out of Ella's apartment.

"Well, it's just us now brother." Elijah said as he took a seat on a kitchen table chair.

Still panting, Klaus started to crawl his way over to Ella. _I have to help her._ Elijah quickly sped over and smashed Klaus' head into the ground, "Like I said before, no one is going to save her."

"Elijah you're making a huge mistake." Klaus panted as he brought his hand up to his head.

"No, I'm doing what needs to be done."

Klaus was slowly starting to not feel pain anymore—that was not a good sign. "No, Elijah you don't understand. I didn't kill our brothers and sister. I swear—they're fine!" At his last words he was weakly able to stand up.

Elijah narrowed his eyes and angrily stated, "You hunted them down—they were terrified of you..."

Klaus quickly interjected, "I kept their bodies. Their bodies are safe!" He glanced over at Ella and realized he could barely feel anything from her now. "Elijah please allow me to save her; I'll take you to where I've been keeping our brothers and sister—you can be reunited with them."

Elijah stood up and yelled, "Tell me where you put them Niklaus!"

Klaus knew this was his only leverage so she shook his head, "No, I'm not going to tell you until you let me heal her. And if you don't and she dies, I won't be in any condition to tell you where they are." Klaus leveled his head and made eye contact with Elijah so he would know that this was not negotiable.

Elijah ran his hand through his hair, "Fine, go ahead and save your carissimi. But mark my words Niklaus, if this is more trickery from you...I will harm Ella in a much quicker and permanent way!"

Klaus nodded in agreement, quickly running over to Ella and dropping down on the floor. She was shaking and looked so, so pale—she had stopped repeating his name a few minutes ago.

Klaus pushed her blonde hair out of her face and gently scooped her into his lap so she would be sitting up. Ella's tired eyes looked at him and she smiled.

"Hey, hey sweet one—I'm going to need you to do something that might seem weird. But I promise you'll be okay if you do. I'm going to heal you. Please, don't fight me." Klaus pleaded and then gently kissed Ella's forehead.

As he drew his lips away from her forehead, Klaus' veins under his eyes turned black and his teeth elongated; Ella's eyes widened with fear and she tried with what little strength she had to get out of his grasp.

Klaus brought his teeth down to his wrist and bit down—blood started to flow from his wrist. He brought his wrist up to her face and gently said, "Ella, I told you before that I will never be a danger to you—I meant that. Please drink; you don't have much more time."

Ella shook her head and continued to squirm. Klaus sighed and gently forced her mouth onto his bleeding wrist and made sure she started swallowing the blood, "It's okay little one, just drink. You'll be okay now." He kept repeating those calming words as he stroked her hair.

"Careful brother, you're showing your feelings." Elijah called from the couch in the living room.

Klaus growled and turned his head to look at Elijah, "If you ever hurt her again, I swear—it doesn't matter if I'm crazy, I will make sure you will _never_ see our brothers and sister again. Do you understand me?"

Elijah sighed, "Of course." He then stood up and clapped his hands together, "Now, onto more pressing family concerns. Where have you hidden our family Niklaus?"

Klaus continued to stroke Ella's hair, "I'm not going to tell you that until you help me become a hybrid again."

Elijah strode over to Klaus, "That was _not_ a part of our deal!"

"Look, I've realized that if I'm going to become a hybrid I need your help. The Salvatore brothers are going to keep coming at me—they'll use my carissimi. I can't compel her into submission; eventually she's going to order me to stop my life's work. You can compel her—you can counteract this curse."

Elijah shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I want my family back Niklaus."

Klaus looked at Ella and gently pulled her mouth off of his wrist—there was enough of his blood running in her system that she would heal nicely now. Ella's eyes closed and she fell asleep so her body could heal. "You'll get them back when I am my true self."

"Give me your word Klaus—swear on Ella that you will release them if I help you."

Klaus chuckled, "A poor choice for me to swear on—I don't value this human."

"Even if you don't right now, you will come to value her more than anything in this world. When that happens, I want you to remember your promise to me and what you swore on." Elijah calmly stated.

Klaus slowly stood up with Ella in his arms and looked at her face, "I swear on my carissimi that when I become a hybrid you will get our family back."

Elijah nodded, "Then I will help you."

"Good. I have a cabin in the woods that we can stay in—she'll need to recuperate. By keeping her secluded we can use that to our advantage—the Salvatore brothers will believe Ella is dead; they won't try to use her against me." Klaus said as he jostled Ella into a more comfortable position. He ended up moving her so her head was resting gently under the crook of his neck.

Elijah smiled at the way Klaus was being careful with Ella, "When she wakes I'll compel her to not make any demands on you. That way we'll be able to keep her in the cabin and move forward with your plan."

* * *

><p>Out at his secluded cabin Klaus sat on a couch—Ella still fast asleep in his arms. He didn't want her to be alone. He already knew that she was going to be scared from the entire ordeal she just went through—he wanted to be able to calm her so he wouldn't have to feel any negative emotions from her longer than necessary. He touched his forefinger to her cheek softly, "Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise my little carissimi."<p>

Ella shifted in her sleep; her hand stopped to rest on Klaus' chest—right above his heart with her small hand gently gripping his shirt. Klaus stopped breathing and just looked at Ella, he thought her to be quite pretty for a human_. _Her human skin was so soft and warm. He snuggled the blanket he had wrapped around her even tighter around her body, her being cold would be unacceptable.

Ella started to moan and slowly came out of her sleep, "Klaus?" she called out.

Klaus smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm here Ella."

Ella moved her head up from the crook of his neck and started rubbing her eyes; she gave a big yawn and stretched her small arms towards the ceiling. She then opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She looked in the corner of the room and her heart beat started getting significantly faster—she opened her mouth to scream.

A hand covered her mouth before she could—_Elijah._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow, I can't believe I wrote this chapter so quickly - I guess this chapter just came together nicely. Thank you to all the awesome people who are reading my story, I'd LOVE to know what you think. Even if the review is just a smiley or a frowney face. lol. <strong>


	4. Life Is One Big Discovery

**Disclaimer: I do not claim to own TVD. If I did, Delena would totally be a thing and there would be SO many more Klaus scenes and Elijah would be alive again. Oh, and I wouldn't put a HUGE break in between new episodes. I mean, January...really? *sigh***

* * *

><p>With Elijah's hand covering her mouth, Ella's scream became muffled. <em>This man stabbed me!<em> Ella's eyes widened as she started remembering other things that night.

Elijah looked at Ella's now confused face, "Ah, it looks like you have some explaining to do brother. Before I take my hand from her mouth you need to tell me what exactly it is you want this compulsion to entail."

Klaus shifted Ella in his arms so she was now completely facing Elijah; he could feel her immense fear coursing through his veins—he hated losing this much control, he didn't want to feel her fear. "Compel her to never leave this cabin unless I say so, to not demand me of anything, and I want to be able to at my command control her emotions—it's eating away at me and I refuse to be this weak."

Elijah nodded and then repeated the compulsion Klaus wanted to Ella. As soon as Elijah saw the compulsion take a hold of her he lifted his hand from her mouth and walked out of the room saying, "I'll leave you two to catch up."

Ella squirmed out of Klaus' arms and ran for the front door. _These two are both crazy—I need to get out of here!_ But as soon as she reached within a foot of the door every muscle in her body froze—she couldn't move an inch. Ella tried with all her might to press her body forward but nothing happened.

Klaus still remained on the couch and he called over to her, "I never said you could leave this cabin Ella—you won't be able to leave unless I allow it."

Ella gave up struggling to get near the door and slowly turned around and started walking back to Klaus with tears forming in her eyes but not falling. She stopped within three feet of Klaus and looked down at her shirt-dried blood stained the front. Ella reached down and lifted up her shirt slightly and felt where her stab wound used to be—the skin was completely smooth and unmarked.

Ella pulled her shirt back down and looked at Klaus—all her unanswered questions swimming in her eyes, "What the hell have you done to me?" she managed to ask hoarsely.

Klaus looked her up and down and snorted, "Typical. Pathetic human behavior—you're so focused on _you_. Just because something might be out of your normal day-to-day activities doesn't mean you need to be so damn scared and confused!" Klaus said and stood up in anger at the last part.

Ella shrunk back a little and took a few steps back.

"God! I can feel your fear and your confusion—stop, just STOP!" Klaus said as he rung his fingers through his hair.

Ella felt herself grow numb—logically she knew she was still scared and confused, but she just couldn't feel it.

Klaus sighed and rubbed his temples, "Ah, much better."

Ella didn't want to get Klaus angry again so she tried asking him as politely as she could, "May I please ask you some questions...please Klaus? I think you owe me at the very _least_ that courtesy."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at her in what seemed to Ella like annoyance and Ella knew that if she was functioning normally that act would have scared her, but she didn't feel even the slightest bit scared.

Klaus sat back on the couch and gestured for Ella to do the same, "Fine, I will answer a few of your questions."

She sat down on the couch and pulled the blanket that had fallen off of her in her dash for the door back around her, "Um, the man who stabbed me..."

"Elijah." Klaus cut in. "He's my brother."

"Okay, um...Elijah. He stabbed me—why did your brother do that? I don't understand why he's here…"

Klaus looked down at his hands and moved his thumbs back and forth over each other, "He wanted to hurt me."

Ella's eyes widened, "How would me be stabbed hurt you?" Confusion settled onto Ella's features, "You weren't stabbed as well were you?"

Klaus ignored her question and carried on, "As for why he's here now, we've entered into a partnership—he's helping me. Next question."

Distressed Ella asked, "But, wait…Klaus? He..."

"No Ella, next question." Klaus firmly stated, his eyes leaving no room for negotiation.

She realized he wasn't going to budge so she moved on. "I was stabbed." Ella again felt down to where her wound should have been. "Why is the wound not there anymore?" she carefully whispered.

"I healed you." Klaus answered casually as if it was the most obvious conclusion to draw.

Ella shook her head, "No, healing is what doctors do in a hospital—it takes time, technology, medication, sometimes even surgery. It requires recovery time." She looked back down at where her wound would have been and rubbed her stomach, "There's not even a mark..." she lightly trailed off.

Klaus sighed, "What do you remember anything about what I did after you were stabbed?"

Again, logically Ella felt like what he was asking her to remember should scare her but she felt nothing. "I was hallucinating—I don't remember accurately."

Klaus gave a small chuckle, "You weren't hallucinating Ella—it all happened."

Ella surprised Klaus by gently scooting over to him and reaching up to touch his face; he quickly grabbed her hands before she could, "What are you doing?"

Ella tried to form the words '_show me_' but discovered that she couldn't get them past her vocal chords, so she instead asked, "I remember so much, will you show me Klaus?"

"It'll just scare you." Klaus stated dismissively.

"Somehow I doubt that. I think you're in some way controlling my emotions; I can't feel fear right now even though I should."

Klaus smiled at her cleverness, "Fine, but only for a moment." He then let go of Ella's hands.

Ella continued to reach for his face and as soon as her hands landed under his charismatic eyes she saw blackish veins pop out from underneath her fingertips. Ella tilted her head and delicately examined them—continuing to run her fingers along the veins and tracing to where they disappeared into his normal looking skin, "Does it hurt?" Ella asked with curiosity shining through her tone.

Klaus looked bewildered; no one had ever asked him that before, "No, it's just a part of who I naturally am."

Ella nodded and brought her hands down to his teeth—specifically the two elongated ones. "Please try not to bite me."

Klaus smiled and opened his mouth wider, "No promises little one."

Ella carefully touched his abnormal teeth—they felt so smooth and had an aura of power that Ella thought seemed to radiate off of them. After Ella satisfied her curiosity she withdrew her hands and placed them back in her lap and tilted her head down.

Klaus slowly morphed his face back into his human form, "Ella?"

"You're a vampire?" she cautiously asked.

Klaus gave Ella a slow nod in confirmation.

Ella's fear was still being repressed so the only thing left was her curiosity, "What kind?"

"Excuse me?" Klaus asked amusedly.

"Well, there are all sorts of vampires that have been portrayed over the years. What stereotypes apply to you?"

"All the rules for me are different love. I'm an Original."

Ella scoffed, "An Original? Is that code for I'm better than all the other vampires?"

"I suppose; I'm one of the oldest vampires. All vampires are created after me and what can normally kill a vampire has no effect on me. Stake me in the heart—I'll just pull it right out and kill you. Throw me in the sunlight, I'll just walk back into the shadows and kill you. I can even compel other vampires."

Ella looked off to the side where Elijah had disappeared earlier, "That word, compel—it means controlling another person's actions doesn't it? I can't even get near the door, I can't form any sentence towards you that is in the form of a demand, and I can't feel how scared I am right now. Your brother did this to me."

Klaus nodded his head.

"What I don't understand is...why? Why have Elijah compel me—why not do it yourself?"

Klaus looked into her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Why are you even compelling me in the first place? You are a vampire and I'm just a University student who has no idea what to do with her life."

Klaus clenched his fist, "Believe me, I have no fascination with you."

Ella looked him over, "Then please allow me to leave."

"No."

"But…I still don't understand why? I mean…thank you for healing me, but what exactly are your intentions with me? Why are you keeping me prisoner?"

Klaus rolled his eyes, "I have no_ intentions_ towards you. You are merely being detained here until I accomplish and put into action my plan. After that, I will be far away from this town and you will be free to return to your life."

Ella looked completely confused, "Detained? For what purpose?"

"I'm starting to get angry at your repetitive nature Ella, so for your sake—stop asking me." Klaus warned looking straight at her with his nostrils slightly flaring.

"My roommate Samantha is going to realize that something is wrong—she'll call the police if I don't return home. She knows that I don't normally take off like this." Ella said trying to appeal to Klaus.

Klaus chuckled, "Ella, do you really think I care what your roommate does? When she so graciously invited me into your home, as an insurance policy I compelled her to not worry about you." Klaus gave Ella a small smile, "She's not going to call anyone."

Ella defeatedly nodded, "Of course you did that."

"I'm finished placating you now." Klaus replied with a finality-like tone. He stood up from the couch and held his hand out to Ella, "I'll show you the room you will be staying in."

"Does this room have any new clothes? I'd prefer not to walk around in dried blood." Ella tiredly asked. She just wanted to try and get some sleep and hope that in the morning she would wake up to a familiar world and surroundings.

As Ella stood up and refused Klaus' hand, he answered, "Yes, the room will have everything you need."

Ella nodded and let Klaus lead the way and in a barely there voice she whispered, "Thanks."

"You're welcome Ella." Klaus answered back.

Ella was slightly startled, but of course he heard her, _he's a vampire._

* * *

><p>Klaus was back in the living room drinking a glass of blood. When he showed Ella the room she was going to be staying in she seemed to accept it pretty quickly. She seemed so tired to Klaus, he could still feel her exhaustion even though she was currently sleeping.<p>

"How did explaining everything go brother?" Elijah asked as he walked back in.

"Okay I suppose. I took away her fear—she's sleeping now. I can still feel how tired she is."

Elijah smiled, "Of course you can. If she was to somehow get away from us, would you be able to track where she is?"

Klaus took another sip of blood, "Yes. I can tell my connection to her is growing stronger—tracking her down seems like it would be simple, but perhaps not her exact location. Ever since I touched her in that field, I can sense her—it's so difficult to describe, but it's like she dwells from within me. It's extremely disconcerting; my next step after I become a hybrid will be figuring out how to break this curse."

Elijah then muttered under his breath, "If you'll even want to."

Klaus snarled and let his anger overcome him and threw his glass of blood flew into the fireplace; he landed a punch on Elijah who gave way to the force and fell to the floor. "Shut up! You know nothing of what is happening between us. You keep assuming I am going to succumb to this curse, but I am stronger than it—I'm not weak."

Elijah stood up and wiped the trace amount of blood on the side of his mouth, "You're right Klaus; much about the carissimi curse is unknown. But since we know this curse does in fact exist since you are inflicted with it—that means other vampires have probably experienced it. But they have never advertised it; they've never bragged about overcoming the great and terrifying curse. What does that tell you Klaus?"

Klaus felt his anger shake through him again.

"It means that they were protecting their carissimi. No vampire in their right mind would let the vampire community know that something so precious to them exists—someone that can literally control their actions."

Klaus started pacing, "What if I can't break this curse Elijah? What happens if she dies naturally? She's human—she'll grow older and eventually die. Will I still feel the effects of losing my carissimi?"

"Probably. But who knows? I'm assuming other vampires inflicted eventually turned their carissimi into vampires." Elijah stated thoughtfully.

Klaus continued pacing—contemplating what he was going to do with Ella. Everything had become so complicated. It was fast approaching the time when he needed to perform the ceremony to turn into a hybrid and he couldn't afford any distractions. But perhaps the next time he met with his witch it wouldn't hurt to ask a few questions about Ella.

"Brother..." Elijah started...

But suddenly Klaus felt something from deep within informing him that something was very wrong with Ella. "Ella." he said slightly breathless as he sped up to her room.

Klaus sped past the door and stood hovering over Ella in her bed. Her breathing was labored and there was sweat all over her body. She was twisting and turning and every couple seconds moaning as though she was really uncomfortable. Klaus knelt down and grasped her arms trying to get her aware of her surroundings, "Ella..Ella, what's happening? Are you sick?"

Ella moaned and rolled over to the side of her bed and threw up.

"I'd take that as a 'yes' brother." Elijah said suddenly now behind Klaus.

Klaus put his hand on her forehead and was shocked by how hot it was, "Elijah she has a really bad fever, I don't know what to do—she was just fine before." Klaus said slightly panicking. "She can't die; we don't know how to reverse the curse yet!"

Elijah handed Klaus a thermometer, "Here, we have to see how bad her temperature is."

Klaus took the thermometer and tried to steady Ella—he quickly drew one hand over her arms and effectively stopped her movement with his strength, "Ella...I'm going to take your temperature okay?"

Ella was still sweating profusely and tears were starting to leak out of her eyes.

Klaus' eyes widened when he saw her temperature on the thermometer, "107 degrees? Elijah, how is that even possible, don't humans die or get severe brain damage at that temperature?"

"Yes." Elijah said simply.

"I'll just give her some of my blood—that should help. But the blood I gave her earlier should still be in her system. I don't understand why she's so sick." Klaus said and then quickly bit into his wrist and brought it over to Ella.

Ella twisted away from him and softly moaned, "No. No, it won't help. Please don't."

Klaus turned her around so she was facing him again, "Yes it will help; Ella just drink my blood so you can heal and stop being in so much pain. I don't understand why your fever is so high, but my blood should lower your temperature."

"You don't understand." her voiced gasped. "You...you took away a part of my emotions. I need it back; I can't be deprived of my emotions. I'm..I'm...unbalanced right now. You need to allow me to feel again."

"Ella you're not making any sense." Klaus was completely confused the more Ella spoke. "Just drink my blood, it will help."

Ella started crying from the pain she was feeling, "Give—" she started to say but found that she couldn't so she changed it to, "Please, I need my fear back. I need to feel everything. Just...please Klaus!"

Klaus could feel her pain—it was different from experiencing her fear earlier. He didn't understand why she would want her fear back, but maybe he could convince her to drink his blood faster if he complied with what she wanted. "Fine, you can feel your fear again."

At Klaus' words, he watched as Ella's small body thrashed on the bed with what appeared to be some unseen force—he tried to keep her as still as he could without hurting her.

"Ella!...Ella!" He worriedly called out to her.

Ella stopped thrashing around and weakly sat up straight in her bed with Klaus supporting her. Klaus could feel her fear rising even more—it was making her shaking worse. She was pointing behind Klaus and was in the beginning stages of hyperventilating. Klaus looked behind him and saw Elijah. He thought to himself that she was probably still incredibly frightened of the man who stabbed her.

"Elijah, you're making it worse! Just get out!" Klaus called behind him.

"Very well." Elijah replied as he sped out the door. He called out behind him, "Feel better Ella."

"Ella he's not here anymore—you're safe, I promise." Klaus said as he placed his hands on her cheek. Tears were still leaking out of Ella's eyes and she still felt too warm, but felt slightly cooler than before to Klaus.

Ella's soft scratchy voice drifted to Klaus as he was still assessing her condition, "The field. I need to go to the field. Please Klaus, will you take me there?"

Klaus shook his head, "You shouldn't be going outside Ella—it'll just make you worse. I really think I should just give you some of my blood."

Still shaky Ella started to get up, "The field...the field..." she kept repeating.

"Whoa, Ella what are you doing?" Klaus asked as he pushed her back into the bed.

Ella's tears started to come down her face much harder, "It'll make me better." she kept whispering to herself. "Why don't you understand?"

Klaus sighed; her discomfort was really getting to him. He just wanted her to be healthy, but she was becoming more and more hysterical. Klaus brought his hand to her forehead—thankfully it did seem like it was slightly cooler, but it definitely didn't feel normal for a human.

"Klaus, the field where we met..." Ella started pleading. She reached up to his face just right under his eyes where only hours ago she had traced his vampire veins with wonder.

Klaus brought his hand that was resting on her forehead down to her cheek, "It'll make you better Ella?" he asked skeptically.

"Please..." she whispered.

Klaus felt how much Ella wanted to be there. He relented and decided to take her, but if she didn't get better soon he was going to make her drink his blood.

He looked down at Ella and saw sweat drenching her face and her still trembling body. Klaus put one arm under her knees and the other under her upper back and lifted her up. "It's okay little one; we'll go to your field." Klaus made sure to wrap a blanket around her even though she was sweating profusely—her body would still get cold.

"The field..." Ella softly whispered as Klaus sped to their destination and allowed her out of the cabin.

* * *

><p>It was exactly as how Klaus remembered it previously; flowers blooming all around and wide, clear open space. Except it was night time and crickets were chirping accordingly. Klaus still had Ella shaking in his arms; he wrapped the blanket more protectively around her and then leaned down to her ear, "We're here Ella." he whispered.<p>

Ella became more aware of her surroundings, "The ground." she said pointing down to it.

Klaus sighed and slowly lowered her onto the grassy ground. In this particular place the flowers were all a lilac purple. He sat Indian style in front of Ella and just watched her.

Ella smiled and knelt on her knees—her hands placed on the grassy ground. Klaus watched as she closed her eyes and seemed to draw strength out of this nothingness. Her shaking slowly subsided and her color came back, she looked strong and vibrant—exactly the same as when Klaus first met her. He was in amazement—he no longer felt like something was wrong with her.

Ella took a deep breath and smiled as she moved her hands to start picking at the grass—she didn't look up at Klaus.

"Ella."

"Hmm?" she asked innocently.

"I think it is your turn to explain." Klaus said straightforwardly.

Ella tried to reason, "I don't know what to explain to you. This place has always made me feel better, so I thought it would help me."

"That's not it. When you touched the ground you literally gained strength—your color returned and you stopped shaking. It wasn't a case of this field makes you feel better—this field can actually heal you."

Ella sighed, "It doesn't heal me. This field just helps regulate my emotions—it's a special place to me, I have a lot of good memories here. I'm able to focus more on myself and can feel whole and peaceful again." Ella looked up at Klaus, "If you're going to keep me detained for a while longer—I'm going to need to visit this place quite often. If I don't, the same thing will happen again—especially if you try and compel my emotions away."

Klaus contemplated what she was saying and then scooted closer to her. He made eye contact with Ella and even though he knew he couldn't compel her he asked, "What are you?"

Ella gave him a nervous laugh, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me Ella, I'm a vampire—what are you?"

"Um, human?"

Klaus shook his head, "Try again."

"Klaus I don't know what you're talking about." Ella replied nervously and Klaus could feel her fear level rising.

"Yes you do! I can feel how scared you are right now—I can sense that it involves something you don't want me to know. What are you?" Klaus yelled into Ella's face.

Ella flinched and countered him by whispering, "How can you feel my emotions?"

Klaus ignored her question and asked, "You had a 107 degree temperature. Any normal human would have probably died or at least suffered from brain damage." Klaus clenched his fist to take away some of his anger, "But here you are, perfectly fine. So I'll ask again, what are you Ella?"

Again Ella whispered, "How can you feel my emotions?"

Klaus lost his temper and stood up, slamming his foot onto the ground—the earth around them shook for a few seconds.

Ella nervously bit her lip and waited for the ground to stop shaking, "Klaus, please try to calm down."

"Don't tell me what to do!" he yelled.

"I can't; that was obviously part of Elijah's compulsion for some strange reason. I can't figure out why though. That's another question I have."

Klaus grew more frustrated, "I've answered so many of your questions today Ella. Tell me what I want to know!"

"I was stabbed, you messed with my emotions, and you kidnapped me. You think that means I owe you?" Ella asked bewildered.

Klaus' nostrils flared, "Fine we'll do it the hard way then." He grabbed Ella and threw her over his shoulder and sped back to the cabin.

* * *

><p>As soon as they arrived back to the cabin Klaus called out to Elijah.<p>

"Yes, brother?" Elijah asked as he casually strolled back into the room.

Klaus watched as Ella's eyes widened—she was still extremely scared of him and he could feel it. "No...no...please, you can't do this!" Ella started stammering to Klaus.

Klaus shoved Ella in front of Elijah and he easily grabbed onto her. "I can do anything I want to."

"What's going on brother?" Elijah asked as he steadied Ella.

"I need you to compel her—she's hiding something from me. I don't think she's fully human."

Elijah's eyes widened, "Really now?" he asked and he thoroughly analyzed Ella, "That's quite interesting."

Ella tried squirming away but it was no use, "Don't...Klaus, please don't let him do this!"

Klaus still hadn't gotten over his anger and snapped at Elijah, "Well, what are you waiting for...an audience? Compel her!"

Elijah forced eye contact with Ella and his eyes slightly expanded, "What are you Ella? Tell us the truth."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So one of my most favorite fanfic writers of all time, <em>Winterblume, <em>responds to general questions/comments from the reviews at the end of the chapter. I think I'm totally going to do that because it's a good way to let everyone know who might have the same questions and concerns. I might even give out a spoiler or two. So at the end of my updates, expect me to answer a few questions people leave in their reviews. :) Oh, and you wonderful people should all go and read _Winterblume__'s _stories if you haven't - she just finished one and is starting on a new one. Both are extremely excellent - especially if you love Harry Potter fanfics and are intrigued by the pairing of Hermione/Tom Riddle. **

**LivHardy: You know, I never really expected for Klaus to turn out this way. I think he'll be fairly consistent like this for awhile, but you never know where my muse might take me.**

**J.D. Theron: I agree, my version of Klaus is very OOC; I think I like writing him with a touch more humanity then perhaps he actually has. But not to worry, there are plenty of upcoming scenes where he will show just how very inhumane he is. :)**

**summerlover1: I agree, it was not Stefan's best move. But you know he's always going to choose Damon when it comes down to it-he's quite the loyal guy. **

**HahynGirl: But if Elijah couldn't compel Ella that would just make it too easy for her. lol. I have to throw some obstacles at her.**

**Americanhope911: I completely agree-there are way too many fanfics about teenagers. The reason I didn't make Ella one is partly for that reason, but also because I think it would be kinda restricting-there's not a lot I could do with the character in terms of her life experiences, interests, etc. It would have to fit into the box of a high school girl. Oh and well, there is of course the icky factor. But with other fics if they are well written-the main character's age doesn't really deter me. lol. **

**Thank you so much to all my reviewers (and of course my anonymous reviewers), I love you all!**

**ilovefalloutboy, Americanhope911, LyssaLoo62, hidansgirl1234, HahynGirl, Aly Goode, summerlover1, , J.D. Theron, LivHardy, marthafdg, and NoseInANovel.**

**And just like what I said before, it doesn't matter to me if your review is simply a smiley or a frowney face. I'd just love to know what you think. :)**


	5. Repetition Is Never A Good Sign

**AN: I hope everyone who celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday had a good holiday. :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries - like we established before, many things would be different if I did.**

* * *

><p>Klaus watched as the compulsion settled over Ella—she looked as though she was about to voice something to him and Elijah. He waited with anticipation flowing through his veins, but all too suddenly—Ella collapsed. Klaus watched as Elijah steadied her since he was the closest.<p>

"What is going on? What do you feel from her?" Elijah asked Klaus wearily. He was confused; he had never encountered someone collapsing when they were in a state of compulsion.

Klaus concentrated on Ella—trying to decipher what was happening with her, "Nothing. I feel nothing from her, it's like she's a blank slate."

Still holding up Ella's weight, Elijah led her over to the couch and sat her down. Her eyes were still open but there was nothing gleaming from them—no expression on her face, nothing to give anything away.

Klaus waved his hand in front of Ella's face—nothing happened. "It's like she's catatonic." Klaus' eyes shone with confusion, "I don't understand why this is happening."

Elijah thoughtfully gazed at Ella, "Maybe it's a part of whatever she really is—a defense mechanism perhaps?"

Klaus thought it over but before he could respond Ella broke her silence.

"Maybe it's a part of whatever she really is—a defense mechanism perhaps?" Ella repeated back to a stunned Elijah and Klaus.

"What the hell was that Niklaus?" Elijah asked clearly startled.

"What the hell was that Niklaus?" Ella repeated back.

Klaus moved in front of Ella's face and asked, "Ella? Ella? Do you understand what's happening around you right now? You don't have to repeat what we are saying."

"Ella? Ella? Do you understand what's happening around you right now? You don't have to repeat what we are saying." Ella repeated back.

"Ella, there is no need for this foolishness!" Elijah yelled at her quite annoyed and angry at how ridiculous this situation was.

"Ella, there is no need for this foolishness!" she repeated right back.

"Wait something is different when she's repeating you than when it's me." Klaus said thoughtfully.

"Wait something is different when she's repeating you than when it's me." Ella repeated.

"Say something Elijah, I need to test this out." Klaus said now fully concentrated on Ella.

"Say something Elijah, I need to test this out." Ella repeated.

"Something…" Elijah replied smugly. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to be talking in an extremely quiet vampire tone from here on out so I don't have to keep hearing this nauseating repeating."

Ella repeated back every word Elijah said.

Klaus smiled and in a tone only a vampire could hear said, "I knew it. I was right!"

"What is it brother?" Elijah asked in a similar tone.

"Fascinating, even though she can't hear us—her emotions are still copying you Elijah."

"What are you talking about?" Elijah asked now narrowing his eyes at Ella.

"She's literally sponging everything about us except our actions. The most fascinating thing is not our words she's copying but our emotions. Well, your emotions Elijah—she's copying my words but she's a blank slate emotionally with me."

"Why are you the exception?" Elijah asked now completely confused.

"Maybe it's a carissimi thing? I don't know Elijah." Klaus shifted off the ground so he was now pacing around. "But by copying emotions, that means she has to have the ability to read them. I wonder if in her waking moments she can read others' emotions." Klaus smiled at how useful she could be. "That would be quite interesting."

"Especially, since she apparently can't read yours." Elijah interjected sarcastically.

Klaus just smiled, "Yes, of course."

"How are we going to snap her out of this catatonic state?" Elijah asked still in a tone only a vampire could hear.

"I'll take her to my witch. I needed to talk to her about the carissimi curse anyway. Hopefully she will have answers about Ella."

Klaus walked back over to Ella and picked her up gently. One hand was under her knees and the other was slightly supporting her back so her head would be resting on his chest. "Let's go find out what you are Ella." He whispered slightly but enough so she could still hear him.

Ella repeated back, "Let's go find out what you are Ella."

* * *

><p>"Lay her on the table Klaus." His witch Gretchen told him.<p>

"Lay her on the table Klaus." Ella repeated.

As Klaus carefully placed Ella on the table Gretchen analyzed Ella from head to toe. The witch then picked up what appeared to be an ordinary pen, but the pen began to form words in the air from her thoughts, Klaus was impressed.

_How long has she been in a catatonic repeating state?_

The witch then handed the pen over to Klaus.

_Perhaps forty minutes. I told my brother to compel her to tell us what she is—she obviously isn't human. She became sick and survived an extremely high temperature that should have killed her. We also discovered she can read emotions, although oddly she can't read mine._

The witch shook her head and muttered under her breath so only a vampire would hear, "Stupid vampires."

Klaus growled, "Can you help her snap out of this or not?"

Ella repeated, "Can you help her snap out of this or not?"

Annoyed with her continuous repeating, Klaus kicked a potted plant that was near the table—it smashed into pieces and went flying.

Unfazed, Gretchen leaned down to Ella on the table and pushed back some of her blonde hair from her forehead; she looked at Ella's unresponsive body and picked up the air pen.

_No, I cannot help her. This is a defense mechanism that probably came from a place of extreme terror where she no longer felt safe to be present, most likely from you stressing her to inform you of what she is. Because she has empathic abilities, her body made her completely unresponsive but at the same time hyper-sensitive to the point where she completely mimics the emotions and even words of others. She'll need to feel safe around you before she reawakens from her catatonic state. _

Klaus thought of his witch's words but he didn't even understand how this was possible. He snatched the air pen and asked her that very question.

_I don't understand how this is even possible. She obviously has empathic abilities—so is that what she is…an empath? Or is that an ability of a different kind of species? _

Gretchen just smiled and corrected Klaus in his ignorance.

_Of course she's an empath, but empaths are in no way human. It's a common misconception that humans can have the ability to feel emotions—humans are humans. Ella is an empath, which means her entire molecular body structure looks the same but functions different from a human. If you run blood work on her, her tests will show completely normal human signs—nothing will deviate. But it's the way her body uses those apparently normal elements that give away the fact that she's an empath: her body can withstand more than the average human (the 107 temperature), she has a better metabolism than most humans, but her mind is much more fragile. She needs to be around a natural source of energy—like nature, it is how her mind purges all the left-over emotions that have built up in her mind from others. It can be quite uncomfortable. She'll also need to go there whenever she's unbalanced—I'm sure since you are not that bright you've tried to control her by compelling her emotions._

Klaus angrily grabbed the air pen from his witch.

_It's probably not the best idea to keep insulting me—there are plenty of witches in this world and I tend to go through them really fast. _

Gretchen, still unfazed by Klaus' antics moved closer to Ella and something she hadn't thought of before suddenly occurred to her, "Why can't she read your emotions? And why do you even have her in your care—how did you stumble upon an empath?"

Klaus got an extremely confused and expectant look on his face when Ella didn't repeat what Gretchen asked him.

The witched huffed a little, "I don't want her to be stimulated by our conversation anymore so I cast a spell that cut off all her sensors—all of her five well, six senses don't work, she can't even read my emotions. Now answer my question. I'm your witch; I need to know what's happening so I can best serve your end goals."

Klaus sighed, "Have you heard of the carissimi curse?"

Gretchen's eyes widened, "Of course I have—there are many myths and legends." She looked excited, "So it actually exists, that girl over there is your carissimi?" Gretchen asked while pointing her thumb towards Ella.

"Yes." Klaus answered simply.

"Fascinating, I'm assuming you aren't feeling anything from her right now, but when you do…what's it like?"

Klaus looked down at the floor, "I imagine it's much the same way she reads emotions from others. I'm constantly just…aware. I can feel her emotions coming to me in waves. I know when something is wrong with her. It's like we're connected by this long and gigantic nerve system—she feels pain, I feel pain. She feels something and then I feel it within some deep part of me."

Gretchen nodded, "I assume a part of why you came here was to ask me if I knew how to break the curse." She shook her head, "I really don't know of any way Klaus. Besides, you really aren't in a position to risk something wrong happening—if she gets hurt, so do you."

Klaus ran his hands through his hair, "Look, Gretchen…a witch foretold of me having a carissimi a really long time ago, she's been right with everything so far. But this witch predicted Ella's death. So…what happens if she dies? I'm assuming even though she's an empath her lifespan is the same as a human's. Also, she made a point to stress that Ella will die, which I'm assuming means that she won't die of old age. What's going to happen to me when or if she dies?"

Gretchen narrowed her eyes, "A witch foretold all this to you?"

"Yes…right after I killed her entire family for refusing to help me."

Gretchen shook her head, "Charming. Might I suggest _not_ talking like that when you are attempting to get Ella to think she is safe with you—she needs to come out of this catatonic state."

Klaus tapped his foot on the ground and looked over at Ella, "I need more answers Gretchen, that's part of the reason I came here. What else do I need to know about empaths? And even though it is risky, I need you to keep researching how to break the carissimi curse—that is going to be our number one priority after the sacrifice to make me a hybrid."

Gretchen took Ella's small hand and after a moment asked, "What do you know of Ella's parents?"

Klaus shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing, she was abandoned by her birth parents as a baby."

"Well her parents were obviously empaths." Gretchen replied while massaging Ella's hand even though she knew that Ella couldn't feel it currently.

"They both were?" Klaus asked curiously.

"Yes, her energy that I'm connecting to is very strong; both parents would have needed to be empaths. But even then, her parents must have been very strong in their ability." Gretchen gently placed Ella's hand back on the table, "But empaths are a very loving species—I can't imagine that it would even be possible for them to abandon a child, their guilt would eat them alive, quite literally."

"Interesting." Klaus mused.

"If you want her to stay healthy, you'll need to take her out into nature at least every other day. She needs to be able to purge all the emotions that will build up inside her."

"But she'll just be in my cabin—she won't really be around other people. I fail to see the need."

Gretchen rolled her eyes, "You told me that you had Elijah compel her, that obviously means he's going to be around and vampires give off more emotions than humans—plus Elijah is an original vampire, which makes him even more powerful. And even though she's not interpreting your emotions, she still takes in everything—residues from your emotions will still seep into her. She'll become unbalanced and sick again if you don't allow her to purge them."

Klaus nodded his head once, "Very well. Now what do I need to do?"

"As soon as I take off the spell cutting off her senses you will need to convince her that it's okay to be around you—or that she at least doesn't need to be in this catatonic state. This is her body's way of protecting itself." Gretchen informed him.

Klaus looked past Gretchen as though he was pondering something, "How much is she affected by the carissimi curse? I mean, is she affected by me? Could I use that to draw her out of this state?"

Gretchen sighed, "There is not a lot known about how the carissimi curse works from either side. I would guess that you do affect her—she probably feels drawn to you. And even though she hasn't known you for very long, you probably have the power to affect her more than anyone else—even though she can't read your emotions. I would imagine that something within her _wants_ to feel safe with you. Now all you have to do is convince that part of her that feeling safe is possible with you."

"So I need to lie to her then." Klaus stated simply.

The witch just smiled, "You know that's not quite true Klaus."

Klaus shuffled his feet on the floor and looked down at them, "Why? Have you foreseen something?"

Still smiling the witch asked, "Do you want me to look into the future for you? It's murky and dodgy at best. And I can't do it until she's more coherent."

Klaus nodded in affirmation, "Fine, when I snap her out of this I'll bring her to you." He then went to the table and gently picked Ella up; her long blonde and slightly curly hair fell behind his back as he rested her head along the side of his neck. Klaus looked at Gretchen expectantly

Gretchen nodded her head in affirmation that she lifted the spell and Ella's senses were fully intact.

Klaus nodded and then sped out of the room with Ella in his arms.

* * *

><p>By the time Klaus brought Ella to the wide open field that he knew she loved a lot, the sun was beginning to rise. Birds were chirping and the flowers were still blooming and beautiful—they had a wonderful view of the sun rising in the distance. Klaus dropped to the ground with his legs spread out and he sat Ella in front of him—his arms wrapped around her stomach and he leaned her back so her head was resting on his shoulder.<p>

Ella was still in her unresponsive state.

Klaus softly whispered into her ear, "Hey, Ella…do you recognize where we are? Do you see the sun over there, it's very beautiful."

Ella repeated everything back to him.

Klaus sighed and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, "Ella I know you don't really trust me, I don't blame you because I don't trust me. I know a lot of things have happened to you in a really short amount of time, I'm sorry for that."

Ella repeated everything back to him.

Klaus gently kissed the side of her forehead, "You know, everyone's right…the Salvatore brothers, Elijah, my witch…I can't hurt you. I don't even want to hurt you. It's all so confusing to me. You're now such a big part of my life and I need you to help me understand how to make this better for you." Klaus finished and looked expectantly down at her.

Ella repeated everything back to him.

"I'm going to protect you—for my own reasons of course, but that doesn't mean you'll be any less protected. I need to keep you safe so I can be safe." Klaus reached in front of him and took her hand, "I promise you're going to be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you—I swear."

Ella repeated everything back to him.

A bit frustrated, Klaus gave up for a minute and just gently worked his fingers through hers and stared out at the rising sun. He then turned Ella around so she was facing him and got on his knees—he steadied her by putting one hand on her cheek and the other holding her arm.

After a little time passed Klaus said softly, "I know you're an empath Ella. When you started repeating my brother's emotions I kinda guessed and my witch confirmed it. You're powerful, you're special and you are not human. Were you afraid to tell me because you thought I would use your gift against you?" Klaus asked as he gently stroked Ella's cheek.

To Klaus' relief, Ella didn't repeat him. She blinked her eyes excessively and would have collapsed had Klaus not been steadying her.

"That's it Ella, come back to me." Klaus coaxed.

"Klaus?" Ella whispered hoarsely.

Klaus smiled, "You're back."

Ella started coughing and Klaus quickly placed her hands on the ground so she could draw some strength.

Ella started to draw strength from the field and when she was strong enough she wearily looked up at Klaus, unsure of what he was going to do now.

"What do you remember Ella?" he gently asked.

Ella took a deep breath, "I…I, remember being so scared. Elijah had compelled me and I could feel it working, I really didn't want to tell you what I was. I don't really remember much after that, except just now, when you told me you already know what I am."

"You're not human—you're an empath."

Ella nodded while staring at the ground, "And you're a vampire."

Klaus smiled and nodded, "Yes, I'm not very human either."

Ella started picking at the grassy field and plucking grass strands from the ground, "Perhaps it's foolish, but I feel from something within me that there is no possible way that you could hurt me. But I also feel like pretty soon with whatever your 'business plans' are—you're going to hurt a lot of people. And I feel like I'm supposed to stop you and that I do have the power to stop you." Ella finished saying her thoughts by looking up from her grass pickings and staring straight into Klaus' eyes.

Klaus broke eye contact with Ella and stared off to the side, "You can't stop me Ella."

Ella continued staring intently at him, "Yes I can; I know from deep within me that it is possible. But I can't command you to do anything, that's because of Elijah's compulsion isn't it? I mean, why else would I even know you if I wasn't some part of your plan or a threat to you? I can tell you feel stuck with me, I wish you would just tell me what's going on—it's not like I can warn anyone, you're going to bring me back to that cabin aren't you?"

Klaus looked back at Ella and nodded his head, "Yes, you're coming back with me. I can't risk anyone seeing you."

"You don't want the Salvatore brothers or Elena to know I'm alive." Ella stated.

"That's part of the reason I'm keeping you with me, yes." Klaus confirmed.

"What are the other reasons?" Ella asked curiously.

Klaus just shook his head.

"You know, I have a life Klaus. Regular people are going to wonder where I am: my roommate, the University, my music teachers—I'm a music major by the way. Can I at least tie up some loose ends with them?"

"Again, I can't risk you being seen and it getting back to the Salvatore brothers. I'm sorry Ella, but that's not going to happen."

Ella huffed sadly, "Fine, but will you do something for me?"

Klaus sighed, "It depends on however unreasonable your request is."

"It's easy, I promise. Will you show me your vampire face again?" Ella asked in an overtly casual voice as if she was hiding something.

Klaus grew suspicious, "I already showed you; why do you want to see it again?"

Ella smiled at him and reached up to touch his face, "I'll tell you after, I promise. Please Klaus...it'll make me feel safer with you."

Klaus was confused how that would be the case, but nevertheless relented and black veins started appearing under his vampire eyes and his front teeth elongated to their vampire length.

Ella smiled even more and traced the black veins with her fingertips, "It's stronger, everything is so much easier to decipher—just like I thought it would be." Ella exclaimed happily.

Startled as to what she could possibly mean, Klaus started to move back from her touch.

"No, no please don't!" Ella cried out.

Klaus decided to stay still to make her happy.

"It was so faint before, but I'm stronger now." Ella continued to trace the black veins, "Anger, frustration, hate, confusion—you have so much of that bottled up within you. I don't know how you can stand it, your family and all the pain. You've caused so much suffering but you know you won't harm me." Ella paused for a few moments, "Wait, you're afraid of me." Ella dropped her hands from his face and stared at him in confusion.

Klaus looked into the distance the sun was fully risen and gleaming brightly now, "Are you satisfied Ella?"

"No." she stated honestly.

"You can read my emotions when I am in my true vampire state." Klaus mumbled to himself as he changed his teeth and face back.

"Your emotions are just barely there—nowhere near the level I can read with others and I have to be touching you for everything to come through. But yes, I noticed before when you were showing me your vampire face that there were traces of emotions. I was unbalanced though, at that time you were clogging my own emotions. I wasn't strong enough to truly read anything until now." Ella paused for a moment and thought carefully, "The Salvatore brothers are vampires aren't they?"

Klaus nodded his head.

"I've noticed that I can feel vampires' emotions much more clearly. So if you are in your vampire state, it makes sense that I would be able to decipher what you are feeling."

Klaus stood up from the field and reached his hand down to help Ella up, "We need to leave now."

Ella took his hand and he pulled her up—he was so close she could feel his apparently not even needed breath, "Are you mad at me for reading your emotions Klaus?"

Klaus sighed and picked Ella up and twirled her around a couple of times in his arms, "You're an empath—reading emotions is your natural state where you probably feel most comfortable. But it's not just emotions you read, you understand the context, the subject that is connected with the emotions—like when you mentioned my family. You're quite an amazing little creature, I'm not mad at you for using your gift."

Ella looked up at Klaus with sudden curiosity, "You know, I haven't forgotten from before that you can read _my_ emotions. I don't think you're an empath, how can you even do that Klaus?"

Klaus looked down at Ella in his arms, "You know I won't answer that question and yet you ask anyway. That's like me asking you about why you haven't mentioned in your list of people that will notice you are gone…anything about a family that took you in after your birth parents abandoned you. You were obviously taken in by someone, but yet you haven't mentioned a thing about them." Klaus smirked as Ella's eyes widened, "As soon as you spill that story, perhaps I'll contemplate answering a few more of your asinine questions."

Ella frowned and looked down at the ground from up in Klaus' arms; for a few moments she had stupidly felt safe enough to ask Klaus something that had really been bothering her. But he replied with a designed response he knew would make her sad. She looked back up at him, "I'm ready to go back to the cabin now."

Klaus felt her immense sadness at his mentioning of the family that must have taken her in, her adoptive parents. But he ignored her sadness and told her, "Before we go back to the cabin there's a certain witch I would really like you to meet."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So I hope you all liked the chapter. It was interesting to see so many people review and comment that they 'wondered' what Ella could be. I revealed that Ella was an empath in the first chapter. But I totally understand the confusion because my version of an empath is different: my empaths in this story aren't human-they are their own species and as distinct as vampires. You'll find out more about them and their abilities as this story continues. Hopefully that's not a let-down, sorry!<strong>

**HahynGirl: Well there you go, her body literally went into shut down mode to avoid the compulsion.**

**Mrs. Barnes: Thank you, I think so too! He is a bit justified in being slightly OOC. There is definitely a lot on his plate to handle.**

**Sam0728: Yeah, yeah I did stop there. Cliffhangers can be fun. Hopefully the one for this chapter is slightly more manageable. lol. **

**Thank you SO much to all my lovely reviewers (and anonymous ones), it really motivated me to finish this chapter. So thank you!**

**HahynGirl, LyssaLoo62, Aly Goode, LivHardy, ilovefalloutboy, LittleMissMagicalKayla, ShiloCoulter, darkxangelxreaderx, alternativecouture, NoseInANovel, DarkNight23, Mrs. Barnes, WolfAngel75, all I need 22, hidansgirl1234, Sam0728**

**Please help motivate me to complete the next chapter by reviewing. :)**


	6. If X Equals Y, Does Stone Equal Future?

**AN: Hello, I know it has been an unforgivable amount of time since I last updated, like in the range of setting a world record. Perhaps it might be necessary to go back and read from the beginning so you can remember what happened. All I can say is that I'm so sorry and that I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. School, my health, and in general...life, really got to me. Also, I'm a perfectionist and this chapter took FOREVER to come out the way I wanted. Just know that regardless of how long this fanfic takes to complete, I will finish it. While I understand the desire and inclination some authors feel to abandon a story and start something new - I will never do that. So if you have me favorited or get alerts via email for my story - you're stuck with me. Whether I finish in a few months or at the end of my life, sometime this story will have the -complete- thing next to it. **

**Disclaimer: This is a fanfic that uses the world of TVD and some of its wonderful characters, of which...I do not own. **

Klaus sped to his witch Gretchen's house, he was anxious to have her look into Ella's future. He needed some clarity about Ella and how she would affect him. More importantly, he needed to know if the old witch was right about Ella's imminent death. If that was certain to be the case then he would need to find a way to break the carissimi curse immediately—or risk losing his entire life's work. This was his birthright, he would not allow her to stop him in his quest to become a hybrid.

Klaus slowed to a stop at Gretchen's front door and gently placed Ella on the porch.

Ella shook the dizziness out of her head and hesitantly asked Klaus, "So…you zoomed here so fast I couldn't really ask you before, but you said you wanted me to meet a witch?"

Annoyed that he was repeating himself Klaus answered, "Yes, my witch Gretchen. She is very old and powerful—please do not offend or anger her; I would hate to have to defend you by killing her. She is very good at what she does; I don't have time to search for a replacement witch."

"A witch, umm a witch? Witches are real?" Ella asked her eyes wide now that she knew Klaus was actually being serious.

Klaus could feel her confusion and also her immense amazement. "Of course witches are real. If vampires are real it's only logical to assume witches are as well." Klaus affirmed as he turned to a huge purple door. Whenever he saw the door he always felt like sneering—who in their right mind would want their front door to be purple?

Ella's mind started racing, "Leprechauns, ogres, unicorns?" she asked brightly.

"Don't be silly Ella." Klaus teased as he rolled his eyes.

Ella huffed, "That wasn't an answer." But by now she noticed Klaus' attention had wandered back to the purple door. The entire house was painted with numerous different colors: red, blue, green, and purple. There were peace signs and even a 'Love Conquers All' plaque above the front door—it all looked pretty hippie-ish to Ella. She wondered how this witch Gretchen would even be connected to Klaus.

Klaus was just about to knock on the door when he felt fear and nervousness swell up in Ella—enough that he had to place his hand on the door so he could steady himself. Most characterizations humans depict of witches don't place them in the best light, so Klaus decided to quell her fear, "She won't do anything bad to you Ella." Klaus reassured.

Ella saw the sincerity in his eyes but was still apprehensive, "Why did you want me to meet this witch Klaus? Why did you bring me here?" she asked as her hand slightly traced the door. She wanted more than anything to have her power work on Klaus in this regular moment; she'd be able to feel his intentions and weed out everything mysterious about him.

"Gretchen is going to do a reading on you; I just want to make sure everything turns out okay in the future." Klaus told her. He crouched down in front of Ella and looked directly into her eyes, "What I told you in the field was true: you have nothing to fear from me—that extends to the people I employ." Klaus suddenly had an idea, "Extend your power to the inside of Gretchen's house and find her—feel her out, you shouldn't feel any dangerous intentions from her."

"I've tried that already, my powers can't get through the front door. She must have done something to her house, because I can feel the neighbors around here just fine." Ella shifted her feet a little, "You said before I shouldn't anger or offend her, that implies dangerous intentions if I mess up." Ella stated logically.

Klaus sighed, "Yes...this witch is old and powerful; in general witches can be unreasonably sensitive to the point of annoyance. But Gretchen is slightly different, I mean look at her house—it would take a lot for you to get on her bad side." Klaus then smirked a little, "I haven't yet."

Ella softly mumbled, "That's what I'm afraid of."

Klaus ignored her last comment and knocked on the front door.

Immediately the purple door swung open and an older woman with the brightest smile Ella had ever seen happily voiced, "Oh, you look sooo much better dear Ella. It's nice to see you fully aware—looks like Klaus did a good job in reviving you." She looked at Klaus and gave him a wink.

Klaus was unaffected and demanded, "You promised me a reading Gretchen—please let us in."

Gretchen swung her arm in a welcoming motion for them to enter her house, "Not to worry Klaus, I always keep my promises."

As soon as Ella stepped into the house she realized she could read Gretchen's emotions, the barrier from before was broken—she didn't read any hostile intentions and decided that she was satisfied for now. Gretchen actually looked really nice; she had a sweet old lady look and wore bright colors that seemed to fit with the rest of her house. The only thing odd about her was her hair; it was buzzed with a purple tint.

Ella looked around the house and noticed similar eccentric decorations also decorated the inside of her home. But what drew her eye was a very old looking violin propped up in a corner. It was the most beautiful violin she had ever seen in her life and she couldn't help walking over to get a better look.

Curious as to what captured Ella's attention Klaus watched as Ella walked closer to a violin that was propped up in the corner of the living room. He'd been in Gretchen's house many times but had never really thought twice of the things she kept in her house. "Ella," he called over, "We came here for a purpose, now is not the time to get distracted."

Gretchen snorted in amusement, "We have time Klaus, besides…it would be helpful for the reading if I got to know her a little better." Gretchen watched as Ella continued to admire the violin; Ella's eyes hadn't stopped looking at it. "It was my father's violin—he loved that old thing, played it almost every day. I keep it tuned but I can't play a single note. Do you play Ella?"

Ella smiled, "Yes, my major is music at the university—I'm first chair in the orchestra there. I've probably been playing since I was three-years-old." she said as she lightly traced the edges of the violin.

"I'd love to hear you play."

Ella suddenly snapped out of her trance with the violin and looked back at Gretchen, "No, no you wouldn't. I tend to affect people too much when I play."

Gretchen's eyes lit up, "Ah…you are insinuating about your empathic abilities; I'm curious, does your music affect people's emotions?"

Ella gave a slight nod and quickly looked at the ground, "When I play, I…I c-can make people feel whatever I want them to feel."

Gretchen smiled, "Well aren't you the most extraordinary little thing. Please, will you play for us?" Gretchen asked as she gestured to her and Klaus.

Klaus objected—his eyes wide, "What?" He immediately went over to Ella and grasped her fingers so she wouldn't do anything, "Gretchen, she is basically saying she would be able to control us with this music!"

Ella tried to pry her fingers out of Klaus' hands, "No, I promise it's not like that!" She started pleading, "You're hurting my fingers Klaus."

Gretchen huffed a little, "Oh please. Klaus you are such a drama-queen; let that poor girl's fingers go, I want to hear whatever she can play."

Klaus glared at Ella but eventually let go of her fingers. He walked backwards until he got to an armchair and sat down, "Fine, whatever. Probably won't affect me anyway since she can't read me."

"I wouldn't bet on that if I were you." Gretchen said while slightly shaking her head at Klaus' overconfidence.

"So…so it's okay if I play something?" Ella asked softly. She desperately wanted to do something familiar, especially since her life had turned into such a chaotic mess. Playing the violin had always comforted her whenever something was stressful in her life; it helped her feel more in control, and that everything would eventually be alright.

Gretchen nodded, "Yes, we'll do the reading after you finish playing something for us."

Ella searched for Klaus' eyes, wanting him to confirm that it was really okay. He obviously felt her hesitance so he gave her a quick nod.

Ella took a deep breath and picked up the very old looking violin—more than anything she wanted her music to affect Klaus, she wanted to be able to invoke emotions in him that didn't stem from a place of anger. When she was able to glimpse into what he was feeling in the field, she got the distinct impression that Klaus didn't feel peace, happiness, or even contentment very often. _That_ was the goal for this piece she would play, she would make Klaus feel genuine emotions.

"Whenever you're ready dear…" Gretchen gently told Ella as she sat in an armchair adjacent to where Klaus was sitting.

Ella placed the chin rest of the violin against the side of her chin. She decided that she wanted to play something she had created a few months ago. Ella felt intense happiness swell up in her as she lifted her bow to play the first note; off she went, notes harmoniously coming from the violin and filling the room. Ella harnessed her empathic abilities and with all her might tried to conjure up feelings of happiness and peace to spread across the room with her music. _Maybe I'll get through to him. _

Klaus could feel intense determination radiating through Ella, but that wasn't the only thing he felt. Foreign feelings started creeping into him as the music went on—it felt nice. _I guess I'm not immune. _He watched Ella play the notes so gracefully; no piece of music had ever affected him so deeply before, he was trying as hard as he could to shut it out.

As Ella played the last few notes of her piece, she looked over to where Klaus was sitting and she could have sworn she saw a tear fall from his eye, but the maybe tear was gone too quickly to be sure.

"Ooh, that was so wonderful Ella—I can still feel the effects, it's delightful." Gretchen said in amazement when Ella had finished playing.

Ella nervously smiled and then turned to put the violin back where she took it from. "Gretchen, thank you. It was nice to do something normal."

Klaus abruptly stood up and clasped his hands together, "Now that we're finished listening, I think it is time to do what we came for. Don't you agree Gretchen?"

Sighing, Gretchen got up from the armchair to sit at a very large round table, "Please come to the other side of the table Ella."

Ella hesitantly came to sit at the other side, "Um, what do I need to do? Will it hurt?" Ella nervously asked.

"Hopefully not, but you're the first empath I've tried to see into the future for. Humans generally feel no pain, but I have no idea how an empath would react."

"Well that sounds adventurous." Ella stated sarcastically.

"Ella, you have no choice." Klaus reprimanded as he walked closer to the table, "I want this done."

"I know you do." Ella mumbled under her breath.

Gretchen reached her hands out, "Please place your hands in mine so we can begin."

Ella cautiously reached out and placed her hands in Gretchen's just like she requested.

Gretchen took three deep breaths and then started muttering in a different language, "Futurum sciens dea, da me in conspectu videre in hoc iuvenes mulierum futurum. Promitto non abuti potentia. Ego auxiliatus ad rectum iter luminis. Animo meo munda me ad te corde perfecto. Tribue omnibus bene volo. Bene, bene, bene dulcis deae."

The room suddenly began to spin for Ella, she felt super dizzy and passed out—her head smacking down to rest on the round table.

"Uh…Gretchen why is she reacting like this? Was that supposed to happen?" Klaus worriedly asked.

Gretchen gritted her teeth as intense power entered into her, "Shut up Klaus, everything is running smoothly." Gretchen then proceeded to pass out just like Ella.

Ella, still extremely dizzy, awoke to everything around her being different—along with a golden color hue covering everything within her eyesight. Ella looked around the large, completely empty and white room, "Gretchen? ...Klaus? Is anyone here, w-where am I?" Ella was so confused; no one told her that she would actually be leaving the house. She thought it was just going to be one of those generic gypsy readings with a crystal ball. This was completely out of her comfort zone—she didn't see a door anywhere.

Suddenly, Gretchen popped into the strange, white golden-hued room.

Ella felt relieved, "Oh, thank goodness." She started walking towards the witch, "Gretchen, is this supposed to be happening?" Ella asked calling out to her.

But Gretchen didn't say anything back; she just sat down with her legs crossed on the white floor.

Ella ran the rest of the distance over to Gretchen and started waving her hand, "Gretchen! Can you hear me? Hello? ….Hello!"

Gretchen didn't even acknowledge that Ella was there.

_Maybe she really can't hear me. _Ella's thoughts were running a mile a minute. She started wondering why she could see Gretchen if the witch couldn't see her. The rules for her seemed different in this room. No one even told her that she would be experiencing something like this, she concluded that it was probably just an empath thing.

The room started filling with more golden-hued light—it became too bright for Ella's eyes. She quickly shut them and started shielding her face with her arms. But as the light died down and returned to its regular state, Ella heard unfamiliar laughter.

Ella slowly opened her eyes as her hands came back down to her sides. On one of the white walls there was what looked like a video being projected. She immediately recognized where the source of laughter was coming from—the video, it was Klaus. Ella already had thought that Klaus was a fairly charismatic individual, if a bit intimidating—but his laughter was mesmerizing. She stepped closer to the wall so she could get a better look; Gretchen remained seated at a distance—intently staring as if in a trance.

"_Klaus, it's not funny. You know how much of a klutz I am—you didn't even try to stop it with your vampire speed. You just let me fall."_ a future Ella pouted as she stepped into view on the projected video.

Ella gasped in shock, she wondered if this was the future Gretchen was referring to when she said she would do a _reading_. But more importantly, Klaus' charismatic laugh was directed at her; this future self that couldn't seem to stop giggling along with his laughter—even though she just reprimanded him.

"_I'm sorry my love, forgive me?"_ future Klaus asked, still barely able to contain his laughter.

Ella gave Klaus the biggest smile, _"Always."_

He pulled her in for a hug, _"I love you little one; you know that right?"_

Ella hugged him tighter, _"I know, don't worry…I know."_

The video faded out on the golden-hued white wall. Ella shook her head in rejection of this maybe future, "No, no…the Klaus of today would never look at me the way _he_ did. I'm, um…I don't know what to make of this." she denied quietly to herself.

Another video started beaming on the same wall, although the image seemed blurred and was moving at a much faster rate. But then it slowed down and came to a new scene.

"_You have to try Ella! I can't believe you're not even trying, especially with everything that is at stake. Please!" _future Klaus pleaded on his knees in front of Ella—desperately clasping her hands in his.

Future Ella started to cry, _"Klaus, there's nothing I can do! Please don't make this harder than what it already is." _She pulled her hands from his and wiped some of her tears, _"Of course I want to stop this thing in its tracks—but it isn't up to me. And I won't do anything unnatural to stop the process."_ Ella traced her finger against Klaus' cheek, _"Even if that means my actions might hurt you."_

Klaus stood up angrily, _"It won't be just me you are hurting!" _He started pacing around the room, _"I'll do something stupid without you; you know I will. I'll mess everything up!"_

Future Ella fell to the floor and started sobbing, _"I'm sorry Klaus, I'm so…so sorry."_

The footage being projected started flying by at a much more rapid rate. Ella could only make out bits and pieces: yellow eyes, canine teeth, what looked like a wolf, blood—tons of blood, Elijah, Elena, Damon, Stefan, and a grave—a grave that happened to have Ella's name carved into it.

"I'm going to die?" present Ella asked herself. "That's my future?"

The projected video had already faded and nothing new was coming up. Ella looked over to Gretchen and saw that she was still in the same non-moving trance like state—staring at a now blank wall. But similar to earlier, Ella suddenly felt an overwhelming dizziness overpowering her senses. She collapsed to the floor and passed out.

* * *

><p>When Ella awoke she wasn't in Gretchen's weird house anymore. She recognized that it was the room where she had gotten very sick in when Klaus was trying to clog her emotions, the room he deemed <em>her room<em>—she was laying on that very bed. But it was too dark to see everything clearly, something Ella was quite thankful for because she was experiencing a pretty bad headache.

"Oh good, you're awake." Klaus' relieved voice said to Ella's right.

Startled, Ella sat up a bit more to try to decipher Klaus' features in the dark, "Have I been asleep for long?"

Klaus sat down on the edge of the bed, "Perhaps, unless you tell me it's normal for an empath to sleep for three days straight." Klaus said sarcastically.

Ella's eyes widened in surprise, "I've really been asleep for that long?"

"Yes." Klaus simply said as he turned on a desk lamp near the bed.

Ella shielded her eyes from the new light, "Ouch, my head hurts."

"I would imagine you banged your head pretty good during the reading. Here, you need some of my blood to help you heal." Klaus said as he bit into his wrist and placed it in front of Ella's mouth.

Ella scooted farther away from his wrist, "Uh…no thank you."

Klaus made up the distance, "Ella, this isn't negotiable; you probably have a concussion and I don't want to worry about having to take you to the hospital. I should have given this to you sooner but your body was still recovering."

Ella continued to shake her head, "No…no."

Klaus sighed as the skin on his wrist started healing again. He gently moved Ella's cheek to one side so she would be facing him. He tried making eye contact with her but she was looking downward at the blankets on the bed.

"You know, things would be a lot easier if I could compel you." Klaus said as his finger gently ran across her cheek.

Ella finally looked up at him, "But you can't. And for some reason you refuse to tell me why."

Klaus frowned, "The reason doesn't matter. What does matter is that _I_ don't have to compel you in order for you to drink my blood." He paused to take a deep breath and came to a decision, "I need to make sure that you are healthy. You have three options: drink my blood willingly, I force you to drink my blood with my vampire strength, or I go and get Elijah from downstairs and he'll compel you to drink my blood. Which is it going to be Ella?"

"I know your blood healed me from before when Elijah stabbed me. But does it have any other side effects?" Ella asked hesitantly.

Klaus scrutinized Ella, he attempted to tap into her feelings to see what she meant by that last comment. But her emotions were too evasive to be of any help, "What do you mean by that comment Ella? My blood will heal you, that's all it will do."

"So if by happenstance I ingest your blood often, will that eventually turn me into a vampire? Is that why you can read my emotions but I can't read yours?"  
>Klaus smiled a little, "No, you can't become a vampire solely by ingesting my blood alone. You'd need to die with my blood in your system for that to happen...and that's not going to happen."<br>"And my emotions?" Ella asked quietly.

Klaus sighed, "No correlation to my blood, I promise little one."

_Little one_. Those words brought Ella to memories of the vision she had when Gretchen attempted to look into her future. She was extremely curious as to how that all went down, "Um, what happened at Gretchen's house? I mean, obviously you took me back to the cabin. But what happened before that, what did Gretchen tell you about me?"

Klaus contemplated what to tell her and decided to formulate a deal, "Ella, if I tell you...will you promise to drink my blood willingly?"

She stared straight into his eyes and let her emotions run freely through her, "I promise I will drink your blood willingly." Ella stated. She wanted him to know she was being honest.

Klaus believed her; he lifted his hands up to her head so he could show her his memory.

Ella drew back, "Woah, what are you doing?"

"Powerful vampires have the ability to project anything they want into minds, but it is a lot clearer if I touch you. I'm going to show you my exact memory of what happened." Klaus tried to explain.

Ella gritted her teeth a little, "Will it hurt my headache even more?"

"No, when I create something for you in your mind—you feel whatever I want you to feel. It won't be painful."

"But if you can create whatever you want in my mind, how do I know it is the real deal?" Ella asked, curious as to how the whole process worked.

Klaus shrugged his shoulders, "I guess you'll just have to judge for yourself by what I show you." He moved closer to her and placed his hands on the top of her head, "You'll have to trust me."

* * *

><p><em>Flashback - Three days ago<em>

Klaus anxiously paced back and forth waiting for Gretchen and Ella to return to consciousness. They had been out for more than two hours and Ella's breathing was becoming more and more shallow. He walked over to where Ella was passed out with her head on the round table; he knelt down and whispered in her ear, "It'll be okay, you'll be fine. Just keep breathing my carissimi."

Thirty minutes later Gretchen gasped and sat upright—breathing heavily.

"Finally!" Klaus exclaimed. "Ella's barely breathing over there is that normal?"

Gretchen shook her head. She remained seated for a few seconds to get her equilibrium back, but then went over to Ella to check on her. She was still passed out and just like Klaus had said—barely breathing.

"What did you do to her? Did you know when you started this that you would put the life of my carissimi on the line?" Klaus angrily asked, pointing his finger accusingly at her.

"Calm down Klaus, while this isn't normal, she won't die from it." Gretchen tried explaining as she checked Ella's vitals.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, she obviously just reacts to the whole process differently than most humans. Her body just needs to recover—it is very probable she might be in this state for a while." Gretchen finished checking her vitals, "Here, come hold her."

"Why?" Klaus asked confused.

"Your carissimi bond will help her body recover faster; she needs to be near you."

Klaus relented and picked Ella up from the seat at the round table. He walked over to a couch and sat down with her. After checking to make sure she was safely in his arms he asked, "Well, what happened in the vision? What did you see?"

"Everything will be just fine. You'll do the ceremony and turn into the hybrid you've sought out to be for so long. Ella won't stop that." Gretchen told Klaus.

"But that old witch from my past said she would." Klaus stated confused. "What about Ella dying? Did you see that?"

Gretchen shook her head, "Nope, I did not. Ella will be just fine, you don't need to worry."

"Then I don't understand; did the witch from my past lie to me?"

"Many witches lie Klaus, it is part of their nature—especially if they are angry."

Klaus started growling, "Are you lying to me Gretchen? Because if I find out you are..."

Gretchen moved her hands up in a surrendering gesture, "I know you too well to try and lie to you Klaus. Everything will be just fine, move forward with your life. Your carissimi bond won't get in the way of your destiny—you'll be a hybrid soon enough."

"Very well, I suppose we are done here." Klaus said as he stood up from the couch with Ella still in his arms. "I will contact you soon."

With a smile on his face, Klaus sped back to the cabin and gently placed Ella in her bed, "Sleep well little one—I'll see you when you awake."

* * *

><p>Klaus removed his hands from her head and tightly clasped them together, "That's what happened, now will you drink my blood?"<p>

Ella was confused, the witch told Klaus a very different version of the vision. According to Klaus, Gretchen said that Ella wouldn't die, but that vision definitely showed a grave stone with her name on it. _Did I see something different, or was Gretchen lying to him?_

"Ella, you promised me." Klaus said as he gently nudged Ella out of her thoughts.

"Klaus, you keep saying it. What does carissimi mean?" Ella asked and noticed that Klaus became immediately uncomfortable. "In what you showed me, Gretchen mentioned a bond—what kind of bond did she mean, something magic?"

Klaus put his forefinger up to Ella's lips, "Shh, you give too much meaning to that word. I'm a very old vampire; I know a lot of words that aren't around anymore."

Klaus allowed Ella to push his finger away, "I'll figure it out eventually." Ella stated in a sure tone.

He smiled at her stubbornness, "Maybe you will, but for now you need to fulfill a promise."

"Klaus, I don't think I have a concussion. Why are you obsessing over giving me your blood?"

He just glared at her and didn't say anything. Ella didn't need to have her empathic abilities work on Klaus to know that he was annoyed. She smiled at him and gave a cute reenactment of biting down on her wrist and offering it to him. It was a gesture to show that she would accept his blood now.

Klaus nodded to Ella; he brought his now slightly elongated teeth down to his wrist and bit down. When he brought his wrist over to Ella's lips she quickly began to suck on the wound—the pain from her head got better with each second. Eventually, Klaus pulled his wrist away and the wound began to heal.

"Thanks Klaus, I really do feel better." Ella told him gratefully.

Klaus ignored her words of thanks, "I know you've been sleeping a lot, but with how much blood I gave you—it's going to make you tired again. Sorry."

Ella looked out her window, "It's night time anyway."

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><p>Klaus was nursing a drink in his hand while he sat on the couch in the cabin's living room. Elijah was thankfully out hunting for dinner for the two of them. But Klaus oddly enough wasn't interested in blood. He kept thinking about his decision to show Ella everything that actually happened. He thought for sure he would have left out the carissimi parts, but he didn't—that was certainly going to be a pain for him in the coming weeks. Ella was too curious, she would keep asking questions. Even though the power she wielded over him right now was pretty minimal, that could always change. He in no way wanted her to know the potential power she had over him.<p>

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><p>Ella woke up hours later, although it was still night time. The vampire blood's sleepy haze over her mind was gone—she kind of missed it. Now her mind was free to dwell over what she had learned: she was going to die. The question now was how, why, when, and where?<p>

Ella got out of her bed and walked over to the window. Wherever Klaus had her hidden, it sure was beautiful—there were so many stars and the moon seemed a whole lot closer. Ella wiped a stray tear that fell from her eye; she needed to distract herself, so she decided to examine her new room more closely. She flipped on the light switch and immediately noticed the beautiful paintings that decorated her walls. She examined each one of them closely, trying to decipher their meaning, but she had never been very good at that—her personality was more on the logical side.

She gave up trying to decipher the paintings and instead made her way over to the walk-in closet. Ella opened it to find that there were numerous different outfits that all looked to be her size; she was amazed that Klaus had gotten clothes for her so quickly. But then she thought about how he probably has loads of _others_ that do mundane tasks for him. While she had changed her bloodied shirt from earlier in here, she was more focused on getting something that didn't have blood on it than admiring the actual clothes.

A couple minutes later, Ella walked into her closet that smelled of new clothes and shut the closet doors. Her distraction techniques had all failed; she sank to the closet's floor and started softly crying, "I…I d-don't want to die."

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><p><strong>AN: So?...Thoughts? Anything you are confused about or want me to touch on, just leave me a review. I'd adore a review from you, like seriously...you could count it as your good deed for the day. :)<strong>

**Thank you to all the people (anonymous or not) who reviewed last chapter (so many moons ago):**

**eyewtkas, Supersonic93, rainaileen, HannahC, malleyne, chibichibi98, Wolfangel75, Mrs. Barnes, InkShaper, Aly Goode, NoseInANovel, Starangel5593, and LyssaLoo62.  
><strong>


	7. It Was All Painted So Clear

**Disclaimer: I did not in anyway contribute the making of The Vampire Diaries**

**AN: Enjoy the chapter. :)**

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><p>Ella had long since picked herself up from the closet floor. Given her current situation, she couldn't afford to allow Klaus to sense that something was off with her. She had been pacing back and forth in her room—there were way too many unanswered questions. Now that her life was on the line, she really needed to find some answers. Ella decided that her best course of action was probably to go looking for answers outside of her room. She knew her door wasn't locked; she was compelled—it wasn't like she could walk out the front door. But now that the sun was starting to rise, signifying the amount of time she had wasted just pacing around in her room—she realized the reason she hadn't taken a step out of the bedroom door: Elijah. Ella really didn't want to run into him; he was irrational, angry, and so, so indifferent to everything. Ella felt like Klaus, while frustratingly secretive and occasionally scary—at least wouldn't hurt her, or she didn't think he would. Elijah was a completely different story though. But she had to risk it—while she didn't think this cabin out in the middle of nowhere was Klaus' permanent address—he must have some clues about himself and why he would be interested in keeping her away from her life. Ella was determined to find her answers.<p>

Not wanting to draw attention, Ella crept to her door and turned it as slowly as she could. She peeked out into the hallway and found it completely deserted. She had no idea where to start, the cabin was huge—it would take way too long to try and search every room without being caught snooping. Ella stretched the senses of her empathic abilities to search for Elijah and other vampires—they always gave off the strongest emotions. She didn't sense anything, which probably meant no one was home or it was just Klaus—which might be problematic later on if he decided to go searching for her. Thankfully, she didn't register any human emotions either—she was seemingly alone.

As Ella was going in and out of bedrooms, quickly looking to see if there was anything that would be useful, she realized that maybe this old cabin had an attic. Attics usually contain things from the past—clues. She quickly darted out of the empty bedroom and searched for the staircase. When she finally found it on the other side of the cabin she started going up and up—thankful that she wasn't too out of shape.

She finally reached the top floor but didn't see any rooms that would signify that they were an attic. _Maybe it's a ceiling attic complete with a ladder and everything._ She looked up and there in the middle of the ceiling was a square door that had a string hanging down from it.

"….Jack pot." Ella quietly whispered to herself.

She walked over the string and tugged on it—immediately a cloud of dust fell on her as the door swung open and a rope ladder fell. She quickly brushed all the dust off while trying not to cough, she couldn't afford to make any unnecessary noises. The rope ladder still swung in the air—it looked slightly used, there was fraying in the corners.

Ella grabbed onto the rope; pulling herself more and more towards the top, "What secrets do you hold?"

When in the attic, Ella's hand darted the walls searching for a light switch. A few seconds later she found one and turned it on. Light permeated the entire room and what she saw looked like a fairly stereotypical attic: cobwebs, mounds of dust, boxes (tons of boxes), and even old furniture. But for some reason she felt pulled towards the far right corner's boxes.

Ella quickly maneuvered over to the boxes she had set her eye on and noticed that there were multiple paintings hidden inside the box. She sat down on the dusty floor and pulled one out. It was a very old looking painting—it looked to be of a group of people, perhaps a family? Ella narrowed her eyes and noticed that she recognized a couple of the people in it—Klaus and Elijah. But there was also a blonde woman and two other men that looked to be around Klaus' age. But there was one face that stood out amongst them all: a little boy with deep blue eyes—smiling and seemingly happy. _Who are these people to Klaus?_

She pulled out another painting of a beautiful wolf with haunting yellow eyes. The details were amazing, it looked so life-like; Ella almost expected it to jump out of the pages and start growling at her. But she noticed in the bottom corner was a signature that looked an awful lot like the name Niklaus.

"Niklaus, as in….Klaus?" Ella whispered to herself. "Did he really paint all of these? They're so beautiful."

Ella placed the paintings back in the box. But then took a closer look at what else was in the box. She pulled out a yellowed and fraying painting, but the content of it was absolutely terrible. The painting seemed to be lifted out of a horror movie—there was blood and bodies that littered the floor. But in the center of it, Klaus had painted himself ripping a heart out of an old and frail woman.

Ella's eyes started to water with tears but she quickly brushed them away. The pained expression on the old woman's face was so horrifyingly sad. But Klaus had painted himself as so smug and confident—Ella wondered if he did that on purpose. Her eyes wandered over the painting—taking in every detail. _Was this lifted from a memory? Was it a dream of his?_ But then Ella's eyes wandered into the bottom right hand corner of the painting—there was his signature, as plain as day, but she also saw something that utterly terrified her.

Written next to the signature was the chosen title of Klaus' painting: "Carissimi".

Ella immediately dropped the painting and scooted a bit backwards—her hand slightly covering her gasping mouth. Her mind replayed all the times Klaus had called her carissimi and wondered how in the world that would be connected with this terrifying painting.

"Somehow I doubt my brother would appreciate you perusing his artwork; he gets a little testy when anyone tries to give any critiques."

Ella jumped from the intrusion and quickly turned around to see a face she recognized—the blonde woman from the painting. She folded the small "Carissimi" painting into fourths and quickly stuffed it in her back pocket.

The blonde woman smiled and then at a vampire speed moved to stand directly in front of Ella.

"Are you a human that does not have the ability to speak?" she sarcastically asked.

Ella stuttered trying to find her words, "I…I wasn't ex-expecting anyone to be around—especially not a…a vampire." Ella wasn't sure whether this woman was a threat or not, she obviously knew Klaus if she was in his cabin—she only hoped Klaus clued this woman in on the fact that she wasn't supposed to be her dinner.

The blonde woman smiled, "Ah, so you know about vampires. I wonder what purpose you serve for my brother—he always has his little projects he obsesses over. Are you his new obsession?" She asked uninterested as she started examining her immaculate nails.

Ella's face grew more confused, "Brother?..." Ella stepped back and picked up the painting from the box she had just barely been looking at—the photo the blonde woman was in with several other similar looking people. She brushed her fingers across the painting—contemplating the secrets the painting had locked within itself.

"Is this a painting of your family?" Are you Klaus and Elijah's sister?" Ella quietly asked.

Rebecca mockingly laughed, "Ha, family?" she impatiently swung her hair to the other side of her neck. "I'm not so sure family is the right word. But yes, I'm the one and only sister—Rebekah."

Ella tilted her head, slightly confused by Rebekah's animosity.

Rebekah walked over and snatched the painting from Ella's hands. She carefully looked over each detail. Still looking down at the painting she answered, "I'm a commodity in my brother's eyes—only brought out for his amusement. Apparently Elijah did something that brought him into Klaus' good graces, so as a reward—Klaus undaggered me; he brought me back to life. Although, I'm sure my other brothers are still just as lifeless."

"What—what do you mean undaggered?"

Rebekah gave an unconvincing half smile and then threw the painting on the floor, crushing it with her shoes.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Ella exasperatingly asked. The painting was completely obliterated; smashed to dust underneath Rebekah's shoes. "It was such a beautiful painting..." Ella trailed off sadly.

Even though there was nothing of the painting left, Rebekah kept smashing her shoes down on where the painting used to be, "I've lost so many years—so many opportunities to live a glorious life. I might as well be a baby vampire."

Rebekah finally stopped pounding the nonexistent painting and looked up at Ella, "Can you imagine your entire body slowly shutting down on you and not being able to do anything about it?" She took a few steps closer to Ella, "But you wake up and years and years have passed; you've missed out on so much, but your body is rotting—weak to the core. You've had no sustenance for such a long time that your mind is so completely obsessed with blood that you can't even begin to process what has happened to you." Rebekah paused for a moment and started laughing, "And the only person you can rely on for help is the person who put you in that situation in the first place!"

"Klaus," Ella quietly stated—acknowledging Rebekah's pain. The emotions she was feeling from Rebecca were so powerful: hate, confusion, and betrayal. It was certainly a deadly and impulsive mixture of emotions. Rebekah was emoting loud and clear that she hated Klaus; Ella was feeling more and more like she might become Rebekah's pawn for revenge.

"Is that why you sought me out? Anger over what your brother took away from you?" Ella asked. "If you are looking for answers from me, don't bother—I'm still trying to figure it all out myself."

Rebekah's nostrils flared, "When Klaus undaggered me, he didn't tell me much—just to do no harm to you. Apparently you are a key figure that hinges on the success of his plans."

"But obviously you aren't going to listen to him." Ella stated as she gave a weak, forced smile.

Rebekah shook her head, "You're right, I probably won't listen to him."

Ella's eyebrows raised slightly, "Probably? ….What does that mean?"

"Your name is Ella, right?"

Ella nodded her head.

"Well even though over the years I've been daggered for great portions of my vampire life—I still like to think I know my brother. I think I have insight into what he thinks and how he operates." Rebekah's eyes swept over Ella, "But your entrance into my brother's life is quite unusual. You seem kind and sweet—you're not a vampire, you have a conscience. I can't imagine you willingly staying with someone as selfish and uncaring as Klaus."

Ella dropped her eye gaze to the floor.

"You're not here willingly are you?" Rebekah asked with a hint of smugness.

Ella shook her head, "No, I'm not here willingly. Elijah compelled me not to run away and to stay here. I can't even touch the front door, much less pry open any windows."

Rebekah's eyebrows furrowed, "Why…why was Elijah the one to compel you?"

"For some reason, Klaus can't compel me. But Elijah can, so he needed Elijah to keep me here."

Rebekah curled a lock of her hair, "Aha. That's it." She smiled looking ever more gleeful by the second.

Confused, Ella asked, "What's it? What are you going to do to me?"

Rebekah sauntered closer to Ella and made eye contact—her pupils slightly dilating, "You're free to go Ella. You are no longer required to stay in this cabin—if you wish to leave and run as far away from my brother as you can—go right on ahead. In fact, anything that my brother Elijah compelled you to do—you are no longer required to obey."

Ella's eyes widened in surprise, "You're…you're not going to hurt me?" Ella asked not exactly knowing why this turn of events happened to go in her favor.

"Nope," Rebekah stated nonchalantly. "Obviously my brother wants to keep you here for some strange reason—I don't feel particularly generous with my brother these days. Hopefully his plans are now one step closer to being ruined now that you are no longer under his thumb."

A relieved Ella smiled, "I...I don't know what to say, thank you Rebekah."

Rebekah shrugged her shoulders, "I didn't do it for you—I just want to see the look on Klaus' face. If I were you I would hurry on out of here, my brothers went for a celebratory drink a couple of towns down—they should be back fairly soon. I'd recommend not returning to this town or anywhere Klaus would know to find you."

Ella nodded, "Of course." She started to head on out of the attic, but stopped and realized that Rebekah could be a very useful source of information.

"Wait, I just remembered something." Ella fished into her back pocket and pulled out the "Carissimi" painting. She unfolded it and brought it up to Rebekah's face.

Rebekah carelessly glanced at the painting and then back at Ella, "Why are you showing me this? You need to get going."

Ella nervously swallowed, "Sometimes Klaus calls me carissimi."

Rebekah's eyes widened and she started to frown.

"Do…do you know what that means and why it is connected to such a horrible painting?"

Rebekah examined Ella closely as if she was some enigma, "He calls you carissimi?"

Ella nodded her head, "Yeah…what, what does that mean?" Ella knew that Rebekah for sure knew what the word meant—Rebekah hadn't stopped staring at her.

Whispering so softly that Ella wasn't sure if Rebekah was answering her question or just talking to herself, "It's…it's Latin for dearly beloved." She gazed back at Ella and in a stronger voice answered, "It's just a scary superstition-like curse that vampires have told to each other over the centuries." Rebekah then pointed to the door, "You need to leave…now."

Ella was so confused. _Dearly beloved? What does that have to do with a curse—are Klaus and I cursed? That makes absolutely no sense._ But Ella had no time to ask any other questions or ponder the meaning of everything revealed because she know Rebekah was right—she couldn't squander her chance to leave the cabin. So she gave a nod to Rebekah and fled out of the attic, maneuvered down the ladder, ran down the multiple staircases and gave the front door a push—racing out towards her freedom.

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><p>Ella had been running straight for about twenty minutes; she wanted to get some good distance between herself and the cabin. She had no idea where this direction would take her; all she knew was that she couldn't go back to Mystic Falls—Klaus would for sure find her there.<p>

Leaves and fallen tree branches crunched beneath her feet as Ella kept running. She kept compulsively using her empathic abilities to their fullest extent—hoping that if she sensed any emotions that might be too strong, indicating a vampire, she could try to steer clear of their direction. But if she sensed human emotions—they might be able to give her directions for the nearest town and then from there she could make travel arrangements to get far, far away.

A half hour later Ella could tell her body was reaching a breaking point—she would need to find a place where she could rest for a little bit. She knew she couldn't spend the night camped out in the woods; she would definitely need to keep moving so that Klaus or Elijah wouldn't find her. But she wouldn't be able to keep moving if she was passed out from exhaustion—she would have to make due with a little rest. Ella steered herself into a thick grove of trees and collapsed on the ground—too exhausted to breathe properly.

Moments later, branches snapped and Ella heard leaves rustling close to where she was resting.

"No…" Ella whispered despairingly. "I…I was so close to getting away."

Ella knew it was pointless to hide or run if it was indeed Klaus or another vampire he sent after her. She tried to stretch out her mind to sense the emotions of whoever was there, but she was too distraught to focus. So she stayed where she was and curled up into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut—trying to make herself as small as possible. _Please don't be Klaus….Please don't be Klaus…..Please don't be Klaus. _Ella whispered the mantra in her mind over and over—willing it to be true.

"Well, well, well….if it isn't the exact interesting young lady I was looking for. Looks like Bonnie's locator spell finally came to an actual correct location." A voice suddenly stated directly in front of her.

Ella immediately calmed slightly at the sound of the voice—it definitely wasn't Klaus. But she knew it was a familiar voice.

"You can open your eyes—I'm not going to hurt you, we need you to help Klaus not get to Elena."

The voice was now placed, "Damon." Ella simply said as she opened her eyes. "What do you mean…we?"

Damon rolled his eyes, "Oh, I dunno…you, me, Stefan, Elena, Mystic Falls, Santa Claus….pretty much the whole freakin' world wants you to stop Klaus from becoming more powerful."

Ella got up from off the ground, "Look, Elena's a nice girl…normally I'd do anything to help her because she's Jenna's sister, but I just got away from Klaus—I just want to live my life away from him."

Damon huffed with a slight shake of his head.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get the hell out of dodge so Klaus won't be able to find me."

Ella moved past Damon and started walking in the same direction she was headed before, but Damon vampire sped in front of her, blocking her way.

"You're not going to scare me Damon; Klaus told me about you and Stefan being vampires—besides, I know Elena definitely wouldn't approve of you doing anything to me. I assume you want to be on her good side with the way you feel about her."

"I told you before I wasn't going to hurt you. Besides, it's completely ironic for you to start talking about feelings and morality when you are the carissimi of the most evil vampire in existence."

Getting slightly frustrated, Ella just shook her head, "Just let me go in peace."

"Have your feelings started for him yet? Because you can bet your bottom dollar if the superstitions hold true—he most certainly has some for you."

"Why would he if he's apparently the most evil vampire in existence?" Ella asked with a curious glean in her eye.

Damon smiled, "Exactly."

Ella rolled her eyes and started laughing in frustration; she was getting absolutely no answers once again. "Since this whole ordeal started and I came to warn Elena about Klaus looking for her, I have gotten no straight answers."

Damon tried to butt in with a comment but was stopped with Ella bringing up her hand.

"Riddles sure, snide comments—most definitely, but never a full and complete 'oh my god that makes so much sense' answer." She kicked her foot into a pile of leaves—watching them slowly glide back to the ground again, "If I help…"

Damon's eyes lit up.

Ella frowned at Damon's seemingly excited relief, "If I come back and help with Elena, I need to know why I'm helping her. Obviously I'm important to everyone's plan and I have no idea why that would be the case other than a meaningless word that I don't fully understand."

"Of course—you can ask us anything you want." Damon enthusiastically replied.

"Immediately; everything will be answered immediately—as soon as we are at wherever it is you were planning to take me."

Damon just nodded his head and offered his arm for her to grab onto.

Ella sighed and made the steps to grab Damon's arm. As they sped off to wherever Stefan and Elena were, she hoped that she made the right decision. But more importantly, she hoped that they wouldn't make her face Klaus again.

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><p>Ella was seated on a couch across from Elena, Stefan, and Damon. They told her that she would be safe from Klaus here—no one would be able to find her because of a cloaking spell their friend Bonnie performed for them. They were all staring at her, just waiting for her to ask questions.<p>

Ella thought that they were an even more interesting bunch than the last time she saw them. The whole love triangle thing was reaching disaster levels—Ella read from Elena that she was starting to feel more and more things for Damon. _How inconvenient. _Ella laughingly thought in her mind.

It was obvious that they had great hope for Ella but were still trying to see if they could put their trust in her. Hence the reason as to why they were all silent—waiting for Ella to ask the questions.

So Ella decided to throw them a curve-ball, "So…" Ella wrung her hands together and shuffled her feet on the carpet, "Okay, I'm just going to say it…..I'm an empath."

All three of their eyebrows raised in surprise. "So…does that mean?" Stefan started asking.

"Ugh, you can feel all the emotional crap that pours out of people?" Damon asked in a disgruntled tone.

Elena glared in his direction, "Damon!"

Damon just rolled his eyes with his shoulders shrugged. "What?...That would absolutely suck."

Ella gave a little laugh, "Yeah, it kinda does suck."

"You just keep getting more and more weird." Damon replied back.

Ella nodded, "But, I can't feel Klaus' emotions. It's like something is blocking me. And it must be a pretty strong block because normally I can feel vampires' emotions the strongest out of anything I've come across."

"Interesting." Stefan mused.

Ella took a deep breath, "Okay, so now that you all know my secret—it ties into my questions. I'm assuming that this block has something to do with me being Klaus' carissimi." Ella fidgeted some more with her hands, "I met Klaus' sister, she told me that the word means 'dearly beloved' in Latin."

Stefan interrupted, "Wait, Klaus has a sister?"

Ella shook her head, "No, you need to answer my question first before I tell you about any of that. What are the implications of me being Klaus' carissimi—what does that fully mean?"

As soon as Ella threw out the question time seemed to move so slow; all three of them looked back and forth at each other as if debating on what to tell her. In anticipation a mere second felt like ten minutes.

"Please, I deserve to know." Ella stated quietly.

Elena looked at her and smiled gently, "You're the ticket to saving me from being killed in a sacrifice to make Klaus more powerful. By merely telling him to do something, you can control his actions—eventually he will have no choice but to obey. You have the power to order him not to kill me. We've theorized that since he is an extremely old vampire, the effects of the carissimi curse will be even more potent; which probably means that he will immediately do what you wish, with little hesitation."

Ella furrowed her brows and shook her head, "But I was with him….I had no control over him. I mean I couldn't even get him to let me go free."

"I'm sure he had you compelled not to make any demands on him. If you can't tell him to do something, he won't obey your wishes." Stefan stated simply.

Ella nodded her head, "What else?"

Damon smirked, "What you mean what else?"

"Obviously there is more to it than just being able to control his actions if I wanted." Ella stated in annoyance.

Damon looked at Stefan and Elena and noticed that they were clearly having a hard time spilling the rest of the beans, "Well according to legend there is also the part where you will eventually become someone he cherishes beyond anything or anyone he has ever known."

Ella's mouth dropped open and suddenly the translation of carissimi meaning 'dearly beloved' made more sense. But she was still beyond no doubt confused, "Wha…what?"

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><p><strong>AN: So next chapter will definitely be about Klaus finding out that Ella no longer is at the cabin. What's a wannabe hybrid vampire to do?<strong>

****Guess what, if you leave me a signed review...I'll PM you a sneak peek for the next chapter.** So maybe the best option for all involved is to just leave me a review?**

**It's a simple as copying one of these:**

**:) :( :/**

**Or copying this:**

**Dear Starrgirlfish, **

**Woah, totally wasn't expecting Rebekah to be introduced this soon, she's got some major tantrum issues. **

**A Santa Claus mention? Hmm...I guess someone is getting a little too excited about the holidays.**

**Yay! Ella finally knows what power she holds over Klaus. **

**Sincerely, A Loyal Reader**

**P.S. It would be totally cool if the next chapter was updated sooner than 6 months from now.**

**Thank you so much to the people that reviewed last chapter (roughly 6 full moons ago lol): ILoveYou1978, bubbles1311143, . , A.P. Reich, and NoseInANovel.  
><strong>

****ILoveYou1978: Yes, yes...I know, it's a very dire situation. I'm horrible at being consistent-it'll get better though with any luck. *knock on wood*****

****bubbles1311143: I know, frustrating right? The good ones always prolong the mushy stuff.****

****NoseInANovel: Gretchen sure is a mystery. Although I think witches for the most part are required to be mysterious. It's probably in the job description. :) All will be revealed eventually though. ****


	8. When in Doubt, Consult An Expert

**AN: Yes! I updated fairly quickly, aren't all of you lovely readers so proud of me? To be perfectly honest, this was probably my most favorite chapter to write. I really liked how it turned out, I hope you all will too. :)**

**Oh, and let's just pretend that in the last chapter I spelled Rebekah's name right the entire time. My only excuse is that I have an adorable little cousin that spells it Rebecca...my weird brain is used to spelling it that way. Sorry. (Edited to be the right spelling 1/2/13)**

**Disclaimer: I in no way own The Vampire Diaries. If I did, everything would be much different.**

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><p>Klaus clenched Rebekah's throat—pressing her so hard into the wall that there was a dent. He and Elijah had returned to the cabin only moments ago and when he couldn't feel Ella's emotions, he knew she was gone. Everything he had worked so hard for was now infinitely more complicated because of his stupid, vengeful sister. So he started squeezing even harder…<p>

"Nik…" Rebekah's plea was barely comprehendible with her now mangled throat. "Stop, please…"

Klaus growled slightly, "You made a stupid, stupid decision. Now I am vulnerable." He hit his free hand that wasn't crushing Rebekah's throat on the wall, "How could you have let her go?!"

Elijah had been watching the encounter on the sidelines, but now decided to step in. Klaus was getting too angry. "You need to calm down brother."

"Don't tell me what to do." Klaus snidely remarked.

Elijah tried prying Klaus' hand off of Rebekah's throat, "Yes, she made a stupid decision to let your carissimi go. She was blinded by anger, but I'm sure she understands that she went too far."

Klaus allowed his fingers to be pried off of Rebekah's throat.

Rebekah collapsed to the ground—holding her throat and crying.

Klaus crouched down on his knees in front of Rebekah, "Is what Elijah said true, are you ready to be a good sister? You'll do everything I say from now on…right?"

Rebekah quickly nodded her head, wiping away a few stray tears. Her throat had healed some-what so she responded by saying, "I promise I won't do anything like that ever again Nik. I'm so, so sorry."

Klaus smiled and patted her head, "Of course you are my dear sister."

Elijah clasped his hands together, "Well, now that everything is settled, I believe we have your carissimi to go and search for."

Klaus smirked; "Everything is not quite settled." Quickly so that Elijah couldn't form a counter-attack, he spun around and stabbed Elijah directly in the heart with a dagger from his coat pocket.

Elijah looked up in surprise at Klaus.

"Sorry brother, you scare little Ella too much. I'm assuming she'll have more goodwill toward Rebekah—your services are no longer required."

Rebekah caught Elijah before he fell to the ground, "No!" she screamed in distress.

But Elijah's body turned grey and his eyes fell lifeless. Rebekah started reaching for the dagger embedded in his heart.

Klaus caught her fingers, "Tut tut dear sister, you promised you'd be good." He pulled her away from Elijah's body, "Don't you dare pull that dagger out of him."

Rebekah looked back at Elijah's body, "But…."

Klaus just shook his head, "No." he stated with absolute authority. "If you do, you'll find a dagger in your heart so fast that you won't even be able to say the first syllable of my name."

"But…why? I was the one who betrayed you. He was loyal, he didn't do anything—he was helping you."

Klaus flung her away and picked up Elijah's body to put in a pre-made coffin he had hidden away, "Because I didn't need him anymore." He turned and looked at Rebekah, "Let's hope you keep finding ways to make yourself useful."

* * *

><p>The room was spinning even though she was still seated on the couch; Ella was having a very hard time processing what she just heard Damon say. Every experience she had with Klaus came rushing back into her mind. But she realized that it had been staring her smack dab in the face—she just had refused to process it. The proof was in the vision she had at Gretchen's house—in that vision, a future Klaus declared his love for her. And even though she knew that Klaus wasn't exactly 'good'—he never once harmed her; in fact, he told her at her apartment that she would never be in any danger from him. <em>This<em> must be why. But Ella was still confused on the specifics.

She looked up at Damon—he seemed to be the only one willing to tell her the whole truth, "How does this work, me controlling him? What happens if I demand something from him and he refuses?"

"Pain…" Damon simply answered. "Excruciating pain for the longer he puts your demands off and rebels."

Ella nodded, not really wanting to think about having the ability to make him feel pain. "He can feel my emotions, but I can't feel his—is that because I'm his carissimi?"

Stefan answered this time, "Nobody really knows a lot about the carissimi curse because any vampire who has experienced it has never wanted to advertise their weakness to others out there who could easily exploit it." He glanced at Elena and she smiled at him to continue explaining, "My guess would be yes. But it is interesting that you can't feel his emotions—maybe the carissimi curse had a counter effect on you because you are an empath and already have that ability. But it's impossible to know for sure. The legend goes that your pain becomes his pain—if you are injured or harmed in any way, he'd feel it as if he was experiencing it himself."

Ella furrowed her brows and a thought suddenly came to her, "What if…what happens if I die? How would he be affected?" Memories of the gravestone in the future vision she saw plagued her mind.

"Crazy town…" Damon answered. "He'd feel your death every single moment and would be driven mad by it."

"Is that why vampires refer to it as a curse?" Ella looked around the room, her eyes carrying the faintest hint of watering, "Because if their carissimi dies, they'll be forced to spend the rest of their eternity living and feeling the death over and over?"

Stefan and Damon just nodded their heads.

"Is the plan for how I help Elena…" She paused and then looked down at her feet, "Are you going to kill me so Klaus becomes too crazy to attempt killing Elena for his evil plans?"

Elena's eyes widened and she shook her head while moving to the other couch where Ella was seated. She crouched down on the floor and placed her hand over Ella's, "No, no…I would never allow that."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Ella whispered.

Elena took a deep breath, "Allow the carissimi curse to take hold and have Klaus fall in love with you. Eventually he will get to a point where there will be no need to command him not to kill me; he won't do it because it will make him fall out of your good graces. He won't do it because it would make you unhappy."

Ella moved her hand out from Elena's, "But it hasn't taken ahold yet. What's to stop him from finding and killing you eventually? Just because he can't compel me, doesn't mean other vampires can't—he'll tell them to make sure I'm compelled not to command him of anything."

Stefan interjected, "Look, it's important for you to realize why Klaus wants to kill Elena. Klaus wants to break what is referred to as the sun and moon curse, but Elijah recently told us that it's all a hoax—he's actually half werewolf, but that side is being suppressed. He wants to complete his full transition so he can become a hybrid—half vampire and half werewolf."

"What does that have to do with Elena?" Ella asked.

"I'm the doppelgänger; a distant relative of mine was used to transition him into a vampire from a human." Elena said. "My spilt blood is part of the sacrifice he needs to become a hybrid—to become more powerful."

The sound of a knock at the front door interrupted Elena's explanation.

Ella jumped in surprise, glancing at the door in worry. They told her that no one would be able to find them at the house—that it was magically protected.

Elena started dashed to the front door, "It's okay; it's just our witch friend who's helping us—Bonnie."

"Oh…okay." Ella said relieved.

Elena opened the door, "Thanks so much for coming Bonnie."

"It's no problem Elena; I'll do anything I can to help." Bonnie said as she entered into the house. "Where's Ella?"

"Right here…" Ella called from the couch.

Bonnie smiled and gave her a little wave. She then turned to the Salvatore brothers, "Stefan…Damon—did you gather the amount of vervain I needed for the spell?"

Damon vampire sped to the house's kitchen and then dropped a huge bag into Bonnie's hands. "I'm guessing that will cover it." Damon said with a smirk.

"What's vervain?" Ella curiously asked.

"It's a plant that's meant to ward off vampires—it stops compulsion." Bonnie simply remarked as she looked over the content in the bag—checking to see if there was enough for her spell.

"Wait…do you mean that this vervain stuff can stop Klaus from ordering other vampires to compel me?"

Elena smiled and walked over to where Bonnie was examining the vervain, "That's exactly what she means."

"But there is one slight hiccup." Bonnie said cautiously as she looked at Ella in fascination.

"What do you mean…hiccup?" Stefan asked.

"Well, a little bit ago Damon texted me and said that Ella is an empath. So right before I came over I researched to see if that would have any effect on the vervain."

Damon's brows furrowed, "It does have an effect, doesn't it?"

Bonnie nodded, "Yeah, her body burns the effects of vervain off within five minutes—all empaths do. It also absorbs the nutrients in vervain that ward off vampires—so wearing a bracelet or other jewelry wouldn't help. It would be rendered useless within minutes."

"…So what now?" Ella asked. Hopelessness was starting to permeate this situation—how was she supposed to stop Klaus from performing this ritual?

Bonnie waved the bag of vervain and pulled a very old looking book from a purse that hung on her shoulder, "That's why I had a back-up spell; it's risky, but if it works then no vampire will ever be able to compel you."

Ella warily looked at the very old looking book, "What kind of risks?"

* * *

><p>Klaus and Rebekah had been sitting for hours in Gretchen's house, waiting for the witch to find out where Ella was located. Klaus was pretty dang sure the doppelgänger and the Salvatore brothers had already found her—probably plotting to try and get Ella to join them in their cause to keep Elena alive.<p>

"Nik…I'm so bored!" Rebekah lamented. "I've been out of it for decades—I'm dying to go out and see how the world has changed. Do we really have to stay here?"

"Trust me dear sister, the world is just as unfair and predictable as it's always been. There is absolutely nothing new to see." Klaus remarked impatiently.

"Yeah, well I'm sure it beats dwelling in this over-the-top house—could your witch be anymore cheesy?" Rebekah asked while looking at the various happy figurines that decorated the house.

Klaus just ignored Rebekah and started staring at one spot in the carpet—his sharp vampire eyes catching each fiber strand, moving him into a trance-like state. He wondered how his life had gotten to this point; chasing down some silly human girl—he supposed she was slightly supernatural, she had empathic abilities—but she still functioned and acted like a human. This carissimi curse had delayed his plans for far too long. The next full moon where he could perform the sacrifice for his transition was in twelve days—he would need to try and meet that goal before the curse even more-so clamped down on him.

"Nik…" Rebekah dragged out, "What's it like to have a carissimi?" Rebekah twirled a lock of her hair, "Even though vampires referred to it as a curse, I always thought it to be incredibly romantic."

In complete disbelief, Klaus dragged himself out of his thoughts, "Romantic?" he huffed. "Are you serious?"

Rebekah smiled, "Yeah…you know, the whole feeling everything she feels—her slowly becoming more and more important to you. It's just like something out of those black and white moving pictures."

Klaus sighed, "You mean a movie?"

Rebekah lit up, "Oh yes, a movie. I want to go to one of those sometime."

"Rebekah, my life is not a fairytale. I'm not some dashing prince riding on a horse to save a princess in distress." Klaus looked down at his shoes, "I'm the villain—the monster; I'm the one the princess is trying to escape from so she can ride off and have a happily ever after. Nobody can draw happiness from someone like me—not even my own family."

Rebekah nodded in understanding, "Do you…do you love her yet?" she asked hesitantly.

Klaus narrowed his eyes, "I don't love, nor do I understand the concept."

Rebekah shook her head, "You will…"

Klaus grew angrier, "That's what everyone keeps saying! But people underestimate my will; I'm stubborn and I always get what I want. If anyone can overcome this curse, it's me."

"Why would you want to?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"To answer your original question—'What's it like to have a carissimi?'—the truth is that it's absolutely terrifying." Klaus got up and started pacing back and forth, "For the first time, I'm not in control and I can't predict what the future will bring. This curse is taking over my body, changing it from the inside out. It's messing with my brain and my decisions." He stopped pacing and looked directly at Rebekah, "It's changing who I am—and I like who I am. It's like I'm dying, being hollowed out by some unknown force. Eventually, some other person will possess me and the mark I made on the world would have been for nothing."

Klaus was seething by the time he finished his rant; deep and labored breaths coming in and out of him at a rapid rate. He sat back down and pressed a hand against the side of his head.

Rebekah gently placed a hand on his back, "That's not how love works." She softly stated.

Klaus looked up at her, "Is it love if it's forced?"

Rebekah didn't get to answer the question as Gretchen walked out of her meditation room.

Klaus stood up quickly, "Did you find her?"

Gretchen shook her head, "There's an extremely strong spell that is protecting her whereabouts from being known; I've tried everything, I can't break it. Nor can I find the doppelgänger, so I assume they are together hidden somewhere."

Klaus threw his arms up in the air, "Great, nothing useful. I'm back to square one."

"I didn't say I had nothing useful." Gretchen smirked at Klaus, "I just said I can't find the doppelgänger or Ella."

"What do you know?" Klaus asked as he ground his teeth together, the witch was trying his patience.

"How would you like to meet a vampire that has experienced the carissimi curse?" she nonchalantly asked, purposefully not making eye contact with Klaus.

Klaus' eyebrows rose in surprise, "You found someone who has a carissimi? Who has experienced everything I am going through right now?"

"I weaved together a few spells and got a name and an address."

"Nik, that means…" Rebekah trailed off because Gretchen interrupted.

"You can get some answers." Gretchen said as she now stared directly at Klaus and then gave him a nearly unnoticeable wink.

"What's the name and address?"

"Raylan Benson." Gretchen also gave him the address and then added, "It's actually fairly close, only about 30 miles north of here."

Klaus wrote down the info and then put the piece of paper in his back pocket. "No need to come with me Rebekah, I need to do this on my own."

Rebekah nodded, "I understand, I'll stay here."

Klaus was about to agree with her but then decided to say something else, "No…go out and see the world. Fulfill your desire to watch a movie or something; we'll meet back here in five or six hours."

Rebekah jumped in joy, "Thank you so much Klaus!" She ran over and gave him a hug.

"Just be back." Klaus stated firmly.

Rebekah quickly nodded her head up and down in agreement and then vampire sped out the door.

* * *

><p>Klaus had arrived at Raylan Benson's house with plenty of time to spare. It looked like a reasonably sized cottage with plants growing along the outer walls of the house. On the side of the house, there was even a beautiful garden that had various colored and types of flowers growing in it. There was even a small pond with a couple of ducks. But probably the most magnificent sight at Raylan Benson's house was a very tall, old willow tree that hung over the cottage—casting enough shade that the entire cottage was shaded by the tree. Klaus liked older things, especially trees—he imagined how they each had a magnificent story to tell of the people they had watched for decades, or even centuries.<p>

He walked the rest of the pathway to the wooden front door and lightly knocked on the door three times. He then moved his hands behind his back to signify politeness—he didn't want to have to resort to intimidating for information, there were sure to be gaps in important info if that occurred.

The door slowly creaked open and a man who looked to be about thirty years-old peered out. But Klaus could tell he was much, much older than that. He had dark brown hair and green eyes; he was trim, fit, and looked to be over 6 feet tall. He also had high cheekbones and a milky-white complexion. But probably the most noticeable thing to Klaus was the hard lines around his eyes—this man had been through a lot, and it showed.

"Raylan Benson?" Klaus asked.

The man nodded, still not having said a single word.

"I'm terribly sorry to intrude, but I have a slight problem and a few questions that I think you'll be able to help me with."

Raylan cleared his throat, "And what might that be?"

Klaus plastered on what he thought would be a pleasant smile, "I have a few questions for you about the carissimi curse."

Klaus easily could have missed the widening in surprise of Raylan's eyes—it happened and ended extremely quickly, but since he was a vampire he fully caught every expression.

"I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person—nothing of what you just said makes any sense to me." He started to quickly shut the front door but Klaus stopped him by jamming his foot into the doorway.

"Look, I know you're a vampire—I'm a vampire. In fact, I'm the oldest vampire—I'm an original, all vampires came from me. So by telling you that I have a carissimi, I'm putting myself in a vulnerable position—I don't normally do that." Klaus' foot still jammed the door, but he placed his hands up as a peaceful offering, "I am no danger to your carissimi, whatever stories you have heard about original vampires don't apply in this situation. I only come looking for answers—you've experienced this curse longer than I have."

Raylan looked around his property, trying to see if the original vampire brought anyone with him.

Klaus noticed and tried to reassure, "I'm alone; I didn't bring anyone with me to your home."

Raylan nervously looked at Klaus, "Look you're right, I'm a vampire and of course I've heard about carissimi legends. But that's it; I've never had a carissimi, I…I can't help you."

Klaus pressed his lips into a firm line of annoyance, "My witch is never wrong. Let's not waste time by lying to me." Klaus made a quick kicking motion but his foot came up against a barrier—he could not go in the house. He looked down at his foot in confusion and then back up at Raylan, "Did you not change her...Is your carissimi still human?" Klaus asked in shock.

Raylan rested his head against the front door, "Please leave." He begged.

"….Raylan? Who's at the door?" An older sounding voice asked from farther back. "What are you waiting for? Whoever's at the door, don't just stand out there—come on in."

"Damn it." Raylan muttered under his breath.

Klaus smiled in triumph, "Why thank you." He called out to the older voice as he stepped inside the cottage.

Raylan immediately vampire sped over to an old woman sitting in a rocking chair—he blocked Klaus' view with his protective stance.

Klaus smiled and again moved his hands into a surrendering position in the air, "I already told you mate, neither of you are in any danger from me."

Klaus saw an old hand come up and rest gently on Raylan's arm, "It's okay Raylan, I'd like to see and talk with our guest."

Raylan shook his head and glanced back at her, "Mary, he's too evil a man to be of any good company."

Mary thought in silence for a brief moment, "People used to tell me the exact same thing about you." She laughed slightly, "And you turned out to be alright."

Raylan stared off in the distance as if he was remembering their time they shared together. He slowly shifted to the side, unblocking the old woman from Klaus' view.

The old woman had long, curly white hair—there wasn't a single gray strand. Her wrinkles lightly etched her face, not protruding too deep. Her deep brown eyes seemed to smile all on their own—compassion shining through them. She held her hand out for Klaus to shake.

Klaus walked over and gently shook her hand, "It's nice to meet you Mary. My name is Klaus Mikaelson; I have a few questions for you and Raylan."

Mary gave a small smile, "Oh alright, well you better make it quick dearie—I might not be lucid for much longer."

Klaus frowned and looked at Raylan who had a pained look on his face, "Lucid?" he asked.

Raylan looked down at the floor, "She has…she has…"

Mary finished for him, "I have Alzheimer's."

Klaus nodded his head, "Oh…I'm so sorry." He looked over at Raylan who still hadn't moved his eyes up from the floor.

"It's alright dearie, Raylan and I just try to make most of the time we have together while I remember it." She said while looking over at Raylan and blowing him a kiss.

Raylan caught the air kiss.

"I'm sure we look like such an odd couple." Mary said while slightly laughing. "…And I'm sure you're wondering why he never turned me into a vampire."

"It is pretty peculiar." Klaus agreed.

Raylan walked over and placed a hand on Mary's shoulder, "She never wanted to be a vampire—she wanted a full, human life." He trailed his hand down her arm and to her hand, weaving his hand through hers. "How could I deny her that?"

"…Did you ever wish to break it?" Klaus asked cautiously.

Raylan smirked, "Break what? ….The carissimi curse?"

Klaus sighed, "I've only recently met my carissimi, but I can already feel its effects creeping into every part of me. I can feel myself changing into something I no longer recognize."

"I used to think along those same lines, that my freewill was being zapped. And I suppose one could make that argument for the always obeying part of the curse, but I've come to realize that feelings are an innate part of you. Love isn't something a curse can taint, this isn't a true curse." Raylan said while lightly touching Mary's hair.

Klaus shook his head, "But it changed you."

Raylan looked thoughtful for a moment, "No, the curse didn't change me. It gave me more opportunities to spend time with Mary—it knew my heart better than I did."

"What's your carissimi like?" Mary asked fascinated.

Klaus ran his hand along his face, "She's…she's perceptive about people. She's kind."

Mary smiled.

"She's everything that I'm not. There's no part of my life that I find important that she would agree with." He paused for a moment and then continued, "I'm a very dangerous vampire; I have a lot of enemies, it's not safe to be tethered to me—this curse is placing her at risk."

"I highly doubt that." Mary whispered. In a stronger and more certain voice she said, "I can tell, you'd protect her against anything."

"I'd feel her pain if I didn't protect her." Klaus tried justifying.

"Oh, I think you know deep down it's more than that." Mary sweetly remarked.

Klaus just shook his head, "Are there any other parts of the carissimi curse that legends don't touch on—anything I should be weary of?"

Raylan cut in, "No, everything that's out there is surprisingly accurate."

"I do have one more question." Klaus said gathering the courage he needed to ask the last part, "How long before every part of you liked and accepted the carissimi curse?"

"About six months." Raylan answered. "It took me six months before I finally realized that dragging my feet in this process wasn't what I really wanted." He looked at Mary and smiled, "It took me six months before I realized that Mary wasn't changing me, she was showing me who I really am—this curse facilitated that. This curse saved me."

"Saved you from what mate?" Klaus asked.

Still smiling at Mary, Raylan answered, "Indifference. It saved me from forever existing as someone who couldn't experience the greatness that life has to offer." He then looked over and pointed at Klaus, "You'll understand what I mean eventually."

Klaus gave a little laugh, "Trust me mate, I certainly know the greatness life has to offer."

Raylan just shook his head.

Suddenly, Mary's eyes glazed over in confusion and she stood up quickly from the rocking chair. She was a little unsteady on her feet so Klaus stood up and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Mary, are you alright?" he asked.

"No…no…no…" Raylan started muttering under his breath. "Mary, please don't do this." He said in a stronger voice as he walked closer to her.

Mary opened her mouth to speak, but then promptly shut it. She started looking around the room—trying to take in her surroundings. "I…I don't know where I am." She finally stated.

Raylan was now at her side; Klaus fascinatedly watched as Raylan tried to soothe her, "This is your home—we've lived her together for a long time. It has a garden, and a pond with ducks you love feeding every morning."

"…We?" Mary asked in a hesitant voice.

Raylan's eyes filled with despair, "You know who I am Mary….You know me." He said trying to convince her.

Mary shook her head, "Can I go…go to my real home please? I…I need to leave." Mary said while getting more and more anxious.

Raylan lightly touched the other arm that Klaus wasn't holding steady and made eye contact with Mary, "Remember me." He said while his pupils dilated.

Klaus' eyebrows rose in surprise, "You compel her to remember you? Does that work?"

But Klaus got his answer when Mary's small voice asked, "Raylan? …I'm so, so, sorry."

Raylan completely took Mary into his arms and hugged her, "Shh…shh…it's alright. Maybe taking a nap would be the best thing for you right now."

Mary nodded her head.

Raylan pulled away from the hug and addressed Klaus, "I'm just going to take her upstairs—she's pretty tired." He started leading Mary to the stairs, "To answer your question, the compulsion works, yes….but her mind is breaking down, which prevents the compulsion from working like it should. I've compelled her five times today alone."

Klaus didn't know how to respond to that.

"I'll be right back, if you have any other questions—I'll answer them after I put Mary in her room."

"Yeah no problem, take your time." Klaus reassured.

Klaus walked around the cottage and looked at the various pictures of Raylan and Mary throughout the years—there were wedding photos, various vacations, and even a picture of when they first moved into the cottage. Raylan always looked the same, but in each one, Mary seemed to age with grace. But most curiously, there were also pictures of them with a baby—that same baby turned into a child, a teenager, and then a young woman.

A knock at the front door disturbed Klaus from looking at the rest of the photos. A couple other knocks also followed the first one. Klaus looked up the stairs; it didn't look like Raylan was coming back any time soon. So Klaus decided to go and answer the front door. As he swung the front door open, the first thing he noticed was that it was the same woman in the pictures. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes—her face radiated compassion.

"Hello, are you a new caregiver?" She stuck out her hand for him to shake, "My name's Mia, I'm Mary and Raylan's daughter."

Klaus didn't move to shake her hand, "Did you just say that you're Raylan's…daughter?" Klaus asked thoroughly shocked.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: In the spirit of Christmas and all other lovely holidays around this time of year, would you lovely readers please leave me a review? I'd love to know what you all are thinking, predictions you have for the story, things you like or don't like, etc. Also, what did you guys think about Raylan and Mary? I'm not going to focus too much on them, but they are important for furthering plot. <strong>

**And if you do leave me a review a signed review with your PM box enabled, I'll PM you a sneak preview of my next chapter. Meaning you'll get to read a part of my new chapter before I release it on fanfiction. **

**..oo00oo..**

**Also, thank you so much to the people who reviewed last chapter, your reviews mean the world to me:**

**ILoveYou1978, I-VampireBites, Mrs. Barnes, and NoseInANovel**

**..oo00oo..**

**Mrs. Barnes: The pointed stare was definitely received. My early New Years resolution is to update at the very least...once a month. But I hope to update more often than that. And I'm having a lot of fun writing for Rebekah, I think she's a very misunderstood character.**

**NoseInANovel: Yeah, I definitely realize that it had been a long time. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	9. If You Can Find Me

**Disclaimer: I in no way own the Vampire Diaries. I am waaaay too lazy an individual to hold that much responsibility. **

**AN: Here you go, new chapter! Hope everyone had a Happy Holiday. **

* * *

><p>"Um…yeah, that's what I just said." Mia looked Klaus up and down suspiciously as she withdrew her hand for him to shake—he still didn't answer if he was the new caregiver, "Who did you say you were?"<p>

Klaus quickly recovered from his surprise, "I didn't." he said while smiling. He then stuck his hand out for her to shake, "Pleased to meet you Mia, my name is Klaus Mikaelson."

Mia ignored his hand and nervously looked up the stairs, "Dad…?" she called out.

Raylan swiftly vampire sped down the stairs, "It's okay Mia, he's just an old friend." Raylan said in response to her surprise that he used his vampire speed—he had always been so careful, it had been stressed many times over the years that his identity as a vampire was to remain hidden.

Klaus walked over and patted Raylan on the back, "Yes, Raylan and I are great mates Mia." He then pointedly looked Raylan in the eyes—his eyes flashing dangerously with anger, "Isn't it odd that such a great friend never knew you had a daughter?"

Raylan didn't take his eyes off of Klaus, "Mia, your mom's been having a difficult day—I've had to compel her many times. But I'm sure she's having trouble falling asleep—maybe she'd like it if you went upstairs and read to her? Your voice has always has a soothing effect on her."

Mia confusingly looked between her father and Klaus, "Sure, I'd love to read to her." Mia then quickly went up the stairs and out of Raylan and Klaus' sight—realizing that her father needed to handle Klaus.

Raylan gave a half smirk to Klaus, "It's not what you think."

Klaus raised one eyebrow and then walked over to where he left the pictures of the baby—who he now knew was Mia. _What if it was possible? _Klaus' mind was spinning with the possibilities of vampire procreation—it seemed so absurd,"And what is it that I think Raylan?"

Raylan sighed, "You think that the carissimi curse allows children to be born between those that are cursed."

Klaus continued to look at the baby pictures of Mia, "…Does it?" Mia looked like such a happy baby in the photos; Raylan and Mary obviously felt similar feelings of joy, in every single photo they looked at her with such adoration—proud parents.

Raylan shook his head, "No, it doesn't Klaus. I'm a vampire—children cannot come from me. But Mary really, really wanted a baby—I couldn't deny her that."

Klaus laughed, "Are you really trying to tell me that Mia is adopted? There's a picture of Mary pregnant in these photos!" He said incredulously while waving that picture around in the air.

Raylan exasperatingly tried to get Klaus to understand, "Technology is a marvelous thing Klaus; Mary went through in vitro fertilization—we had a sperm donor, I'm not the biological father." He took a few steps closer to Klaus, "But she is indeed my daughter, I love her and Mary more than anything." His voice started to crack, "I know you are an original; you are far more powerful than I and there would be nothing I could do to stop you from hurting my family, but I don't want to lose them…"

Klaus put the pictures back down and turned so he was facing Raylan—scrutinizing him, "So essentially what you are saying is that you fear me."

Raylan just nodded his head.

"It's a smart move to fear me, which is why it was very stupid of you to lie to me." He took one step closer to Raylan and pointed his finger at him, "Can those cursed with the carissimi curse have children?"

"No, as far as I know…they can't." Raylan firmly stated. "I didn't inform you I had a daughter because I don't trust you." He ran his hands across his face, "Why would I put her at unnecessary risk?"

"Lying to me put her at unnecessary risk." Klaus coldly stated.

Raylan nodded, "I'm sorry." He put his hands up and took steps closer to Klaus, "Please Klaus; please don't hurt my family." He pleadingly looked at Klaus, "I'm the only link you have to knowing about the carissimi curse—the only vampire you know who has experienced it. I can still be useful whenever you have questions."

Klaus sighed and nodded his head, "You're right, but I've been known to go against practicality for my principles. If you lie to me again, your family will suddenly find themselves in a very unsafe position, do you understand?"

Raylan slowly placed his hands down—looking relieved, "Yes Klaus, I understand."

"At this time, I only have one more question for you." Klaus said while turning to look out the cottage window at the duck pond.

"Of course," Raylan was quick to answer. "What is it?"

"I currently do not know where my carissimi is. She…she ran away."

"And you wish to find her." Raylan softly said.

Klaus watched as two ducks playfully nipped at each other, "I have plans and enemies—she could easily be used against me, I need to thwart that by finding her." He put his hands in his pockets, "My witch can't find her—she's under some powerful blocking spell."

"Why did she run away?" Raylan asked.

"Isn't it a bit obvious mate?" Klaus asked while still looking out the window.

Raylan shrugged his shoulders, "Perhaps."

Klaus turned from the window and looked at Raylan, "Is there any way that I could find her? Could I use the carissimi curse to my advantage?"

Raylan paused to think, "I don't know. I mean…I can feel everything that Mary feels, but it's not like I can feel out the location of where she actually is."

Klaus nodded, "So you're saying there is nothing I can do."

Raylan's brows furrowed, "Wait, it is possible for the vampire inflicted with the curse to enter into their carissimi's dreams. When I was dating Mary I discovered that I could enter into her dreams when she was sleeping. I just had to concentrate—it didn't matter how far away I was from her."

Klaus' eyebrows rose, "So I could potentially…"

"—Learn her whereabouts by simply asking her." Raylan finished for him.

"Could I control the dream?" Klaus asked getting more and more interested.

Raylan shook his head, "No, it's different than the vampire's ability to show whatever we want to someone by touching them. As far as I can tell, I am only a visitor to Mary's dreams."

Klaus nodded in understanding, "Thank you Raylan, you've been a lot of help to me—I won't forget it." Klaus walked to the cottage front door, he was about to turn the knob when Raylan called out to him.

"Be careful Klaus, if she orders you out of her dreams you will have no choice but to obey. The curse still works in a dream state—I would recommend being gentle and not scaring her. Maybe even just allowing her to think that you are a manifestation of her subconscious—a part of her dream, and not an outside visitor." Raylan cautioned.

"I don't want to squander this chance, I'll be careful." Klaus said while turning the knob and exiting the cottage; calling over his shoulder he added, "Good luck with Mary mate, you deserve to be happy for the time she has left."

* * *

><p>Ella sat on her bed in the safe-house, musing over what Bonnie had revealed earlier—there was a spell that would prevent any vampire from ever being able to compel her. The thought was quite appealing; never having to be trapped with Klaus again, being able to help Jenna's niece Elena, and having complete control over her actions—regardless of what happened. But Bonnie had also revealed that there were risks to this spell; consequences for disrupting the natural balance and order of things. A vampire's compulsion isn't supposed to be tampered with magically, but Bonnie said there weren't any other options—her empathic abilities would destroy the usefulness of vervain. And so now Ella was left to ponder if she wanted Bonnie to perform the spell—they agreed not to force it on her, that it would have to be her decision. Sure, maybe the carissimi curse could eventually transform Klaus so he would no longer wish to harm Elena in order to become a hybrid, but it would take too long. Elena would long be dead and Ella didn't want that on her conscience—they left her with no choice but to take on these risks, she would have to use the curse against Klaus. But that that meant she would need to rid the possibility of compulsion.<p>

When Ella had asked about the risks Bonnie had said she didn't know. No one could possibly know; magical repercussions are different for each individual—the spirits decide on a case by case basis. When Bonnie said that, Ella's mind kept thinking back to her vision with her name on a grave. _Would the repercussions result in death?_

After that thought Ella told them she was tired and wanted to sleep on it, so they directed her to her room and now here she was…realizing that she basically had no choice. Repercussions be damned, eventually Klaus would grow more and more violent in his search for her and Elena—he would start hurting people, she knew he would. He was obsessed with the need to become a hybrid, to become the most powerful creature on the planet; only she could stop him, she had to stop him.

Ella decided that in the morning she would tell Bonnie, Elena, and the Salvatore brothers that she would submit to the spell being performed on her—it was too important an opportunity to squander. She looked over at the clock on the wall; it was way past the time when she would normally fall asleep. With her decision made Ella felt her body begin to wind down—she kicked off her shoes and socks and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>Klaus was in Gretchen's 'meditation room'—whatever that meant. She told him she used it to connect with outside forces; that the room was designed to allow one to connect with their inner self. Klaus just thought it looked like any other room in Gretchen's house—way too colorful and eccentric for any normal person's taste.<p>

He had told Gretchen that his trip to visit the carissimi inflicted Raylan had been a relative success. He now knew that there was a way to figure out where Ella was—through her sleep. So Gretchen had led him to this room; she told him that all he had to do was relax and he'd know when it will be the right time to enter into Ella's dreams. But Klaus wasn't as confident—he was afraid he'd miss the opportunity and not realize that she was sleeping, he hadn't noticed it before, what would make him aware of this link now? He was also a little bit afraid of seeing Ella again—she wasn't compelled anymore, what if he was now even more deeply affected by her? Raylan had said it took six months for the curse to completely take ahold—that was barely any time at all, barely any time to be in complete control of his actions and feelings.

When Rebekah had come back from her outing she carried with her a huge stash of movies she bought—saying that she wanted to catch up with all the classics and it would ward off any boredom until Klaus needed her. As monotonous as watching movies seemed to Klaus, it seemed better to him at the moment than fearing what he would do when he saw Ella again.

Klaus went back to focusing—clearing his mind of any distractions, concentrating on any opening he had to go into Ella's dreams. About ten minutes later he felt a tingling in the back of his mind. He focused more closely on that tingling part of his mind; everything blurred away and reemerged into unfamiliar surroundings—what he could only assume was Ella's dream.

Klaus surveyed his surroundings—he was in a fairly small house in what seemed to be the living room. There was a piano and a violin on one side of the room and above it was what looked to be a family photo. Klaus took a few steps closer and saw that Ella was in the family photo. She was smiling with her arms tightly gripped around two older people—Klaus assumed them to be her adoptive parents.

"What are you doing here?" A voice angrily asked.

Klaus whipped around at the unexpected voice and saw Ella. She looked slightly younger than how he remembered her and she wore her long hair in a tight pony tail—her dreams certainly were very detailed, he wondered why she was dreaming about being slightly younger. She was barefoot and wearing a dark blue sundress that went to her knees. But beyond her angry voice, she looked sad—really sad. Although Klaus couldn't feel it because he wasn't there in person, she most certainly wasn't attempting to hide what she was feeling.

Ella's eyes were wide in surprise, "You…you weren't here when this happened." She looked so troubled and started muttering to herself, "I have this dream quite frequently, but you're never in it. This recurring dream never changes." She drug her feet across the carpet in a circular motion and then slowly walked over to Klaus. She reached out and touched his arm, "You feel so real." She spread her fingers across his arm and gently squeezed his bicep.

Klaus smiled down at her, "Are you always this touchy—just walk over to someone and start fondling their bicep without asking?"

Ella gave a small laugh, "You even sound like him…I wonder why I've conjured you into this particular dream. Why are you here?" She shook her head and a small tear ran down her face, "Of all dreams…it had to be this one." She quickly wiped the tear away.

Klaus wanted her to keep thinking that he was a figment of her dream so he attempted to distract her, "Are these your parents?" he asked while pointing up at the family photo.

Ella looked up into his eyes, "Yes."

He then gestured to the house in general, "And this was your childhood home?"

Ella just nodded her head.

"Did you have any siblings?" Klaus asked in curiosity.

Ella shook her head, "No, I was an only child."

Klaus tilted his head, "Were you ever lonely?"

Ella didn't even need to think about it, "No, my parents were my best friends. I didn't ever feel lonely."

"Then wouldn't you be happy to be dreaming of this place? Why do you look so sad my carissimi?" Klaus asked as he took a seat on Ella's childhood living room couch.

Ella walked over and sat in Klaus' lap with her feet dangling over the couch like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. While Klaus looked surprised, Ella whispered in his ear, "Carissimi…dearly beloved…" She withdrew from his ear and locked eyes with him, "I finally know what it means. Rebekah translated it and then Elena and the Salvatore brothers filled me in on all the interesting details."

Klaus stiffened, "What kind of interesting details?"

Ella drawled out her answer, "Well…apparently you have to obey me if I give you a direct command. I could ask you to hop on one foot for the rest of your life and you would have no choice but to comply."

Before Klaus could respond a male voice boomed from upstairs, "Ella come quick! If you want to say your goodbyes...I don't think she has much time left."

Instant tears filled Ella's eyes, "No, I really don't want to…" she whispered in fear.

Klaus carefully watched her, noticing how shaken up she was—this was a very strange dream, "Say goodbyes to whom?"

"Wake up…wake up…wake up…" Ella stared chanting with her eyes closed, tears beginning to slowly fall from her closed lids.

Concerned, Klaus wiped her tears with her thumbs and gently drew his arms around her, "Ella, you're okay…it's okay." He tried reassuring her, not really knowing what to say or having any experience in comforting someone.

Ella became more hysterical, "Wake up!" she screamed. "Why?" She dug her head into Klaus' chest. "Why can I never wake up from this dream?"

"Ella!" the male voice again sounded from upstairs.

"It sounds like whoever that is really wants you to go upstairs little one." Klaus said while patting her back.

Ella moved her head from her chest and bit her lip while looking up at Klaus, "It's my dad." She took a deep breath with more tears filling her eyes, "I don't want to go up there Klaus."

"Then don't." Klaus simply stated. "This is your dream; you can choose what to do."

Ella shook her head, "It's the only way to end the dream. I can't wake up if I don't go up there—it always ends with me being up there."

Klaus looked at Ella completely curled into him and scared so bad that she was shaking—he suddenly realized, "This is no ordinary dream. Is this…is this a past memory of yours Ella?"

Ella ignored his question, "I can't do this alone—their emotions…I just can't. Will you go up with me?" she asked him with a pleading look in her eyes.

Klaus gently placed a hand on her cheek, "Of course my carissimi."

Ella nodded her head in gratitude and stood up from his lap, his hand falling from her cheek—she stuck her hand out for him to take.

Klaus looked at her small, delicate hand and gently took it—allowing her to pull him from the couch.

She tightly gripped his hand as she led him up the stairs and to a bedroom at the very end of the hall. The first thing Klaus saw when they entered into the room was a large bed with the woman from downstairs in the family photo—Ella's mother. She didn't look like she was doing well; she looked very weak and her skin looked dull—she looked like she was very close to her last breath. Ella's father was seated in a rocking chair next to the bed, his hand clasped in the dying woman's hand.

"She was asking for you." Ella's father told her as they walked in.

Ella grasped onto Klaus' hand even tighter.

"Ella…is that you? Where are you?" Ella's mom weakly called from the bed.

Ella let go of Klaus' hand and walked over and sat at the edge of the bed, "I'm right here mom…"

"Will you play your violin for me?" She looked at her daughter and smiled, "I just want to hear it one last time—you always manage to make me feel better."

Ella nodded her head and turned to give a pointed look at Klaus, "Will you?..." she started to ask.

Klaus knew she wanted him to go get her violin that he saw earlier so he nodded his head and vampire sped down to the living room. Seconds later her violin was in her hands. Klaus stepped back and leaned against a wall. He thought it was interesting that Ella's parents weren't addressing him but he figured this was a fixed part of the dream—it always played out the same, no changes.

"What song would you like me to play?" Ella quietly asked.

"Anything you'd like." Ella's mother said while slightly moving her head for a better view of her daughter.

Ella nodded and started playing something on her violin that Klaus didn't recognize. It was beautiful…hauntingly so. Klaus could feel his emotions molding to match the music—the same as before when Ella demonstrated her empathic abilities through her music. The song went through every emotion imaginable, but finally landed on happy and peaceful tones—Klaus could see Ella's mother smiling with each note that conjured happiness. Ella continued to vigorously play the happy music even though tears were flooding her eyes, she tried blinking them back—failing miserably.

Ella's mother moved her head to look at her husband and then back at her daughter—she smiled while softly saying, "I love you." Her eyes then gently drifted shut and her chest stopped moving up and down.

Ella's father cried out and laid his head on her chest—his hand still firmly grasping his now dead wife's hand. "No…no…no…" he muttered. "You can't leave me…we were supposed to leave this world together."

Ella stopped playing her violin and looked in horror at the scene in front of her. "Don't do it…" she whispered. Her violin dropped to the floor—forgotten.

Klaus furrowed his brow, confused as to what Ella didn't want to happen. But it suddenly became all too clear when Ella's father pulled a gun out of his jacket pocket. Klaus immediately sped in front of Ella and pulled her behind him—shielding her with his body. He tried to speed over and grab the gun from him, but whenever he tried he couldn't move toward Ella's father something blocked him—the dream couldn't be changed.

Ella peeked out from behind Klaus, "Dad, please…don't do it this time. I can't keep seeing this again and again…you don't have to do this. I can feel how hard this is for you, but…" Ella wiped a few tears from her face, "I don't want to be alone…please you can't leave me too!"

Ella's father placed the gun at his head, "I'm sorry my daughter, but I don't want to live without her. I couldn't stop cancer from taking her away from me, but I can control how I get back to her." He then pulled the trigger and fell to the floor—dead. His head wound gushed blood, seeping into the carpet and the gun lying next to his hand.

"Noooo!" Ella screamed. She pushed past Klaus and collapsed onto her knees next to her dad. "Why?...Why did you have to do that?" She gave his body a nudge, "You could have stayed…you could have stayed alive." She then crawled away from his body and rolled into a ball and started rocking back and forth, "Why can I never stop you…"

"Ella…" Klaus gently called out from where she had left him to go to her father's body.

Ella peeked out from her arms that were wrapped around her body, "Klaus…"

Klaus crouched down in front of Ella and started running his fingers through her hair, "I can stop this. I can stop you from ever having to relive this dream again…just tell me where you are and I'll find you, I promise."

Ella sniffled and looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"Where's the safe-house?" Klaus implored. "I can get Gretchen to find a spell that could block you from ever having to relive this again—just tell me where you are."

Ella looked down at the floor and muttered to herself, "Spell…" She then looked back up at him as if she suddenly remembered something, "You can't find me until the spell is completed."

Klaus stopped running his fingers through her hair and gently nudged her chin upward so she was making even more eye contact with him, "What spell? What do you mean?"

She moved her chin from his grasp, "A spell to be free of compulsion—free to be able to oppose you."

Klaus narrowed his eyes, "There's no such spell."

"We'll see…" Ella lightly said.

Klaus grew more worried, "No, Ella…I'm serious. If that spell exists it would seriously be messing with the natural order of things—there would be risks and repercussions." He grabbed onto her arm in an effort to try and make her understand, "Ella, you could die."

Ella looked down at where Klaus was grabbing her arm, "I know, they told me."

Klaus started seething, "They?!" He let go of her arm and stood up, "Apparently _they_ have no problem allowing you to be the sacrificial lamb."

Ella stood up and gestured over at her parents, "Death isn't something I am unfamiliar with." She then gestured at him, "And don't start talking about sacrificial lambs when your plan is to kill Elena. She's a high school girl—she has her whole life ahead of her!"

Klaus gave a small chuckle, "She isn't much younger than you love." He then grasped her hand moving his thumb across her fingers, "You're throwing your life away in an attempt to save her."

Ella paused for a moment and a sighed, "My death was probably set in stone the moment I became your carissimi."

Klaus shook his head and continued moving his thumb across her fingers, "Not if I can help it."

Ella shakily whispered, "You can't."

Klaus just gritted his teeth.

"Klaus it's become increasingly obvious that you aren't a figment of my dream. You probably crossed into my dream with the hopes of learning my location so you could find me and lock me back up." She moved her hand out of his grasp, "But no worries, I'll see you soon; after the spell is completed you'll be able to find me—if, if I'm still…"

"Alive?" Klaus finished for her.

Ella nodded and then looked down at the floor, "But um…I, I wanted to thank you."

Klaus didn't think she had anything to thank him for, "What for?" he confusingly asked.

Ella looked up and gave a half smile, "For being here…with me." She then glanced over at her dead parents and then back at him, "It helped…a lot—I always go through this alone."

Klaus tried to find the right words to say, "No one should have to relive this moment." Klaus gently said.

Ella slightly opened her arms and closed the distance between her and Klaus so they were only a few inches apart.

Klaus' eyes widened, "What…what are you doing?"

Ella reached out and put her arms around Klaus' chest—giving him a hug.

Klaus didn't know where to put his arms so he cautiously draped them against her back.

Ella whispered into his shirt, "I'll be seeing you…"

Klaus suddenly was thrown from the dream; he recognized Gretchen's meditation room and could no longer feel Ella pressed up against him in a hug. He let the weight of everything he had just learned sink into him and then ran to find Gretchen—they had a lot of preparing to do.

* * *

><p>Ella was sitting in the middle of a chalk-drawn circle—it was supposed to help center the spell according to Bonnie. Moments after Ella had woken up from her dream she ran to find Bonnie, telling her that they needed to do the spell; she wanted to stop Klaus from growing more powerful. She chose to keep her dream where she met up with Klaus to herself; she had kept their location safe—there was no reason to tell anyone that Klaus had the ability to travel into her dreams—she didn't want anyone to know that.<p>

Elena and Bonnie stacked mounds of the vervain plant around the chalk-drawn circle—Stefan and Damon stepping off to the side, unable to touch it.

Eventually, Bonnie seemed satisfied with the arrangement of vervain, "Okay, I think this is good enough." She pointed at Damon and Stefan, "Take Elena and wait outside—I don't know what will happen when I cast the spell."

Elena's face furrowed, "No…I want to be here for Ella, it's my fault that she has to do this."

Ella shook her head, "No Elena, it's alright…I know there might be consequences, but I'll be okay with whatever happens."

Elena looked like she was going to protest but Stefan grabbed onto her and vampire sped her away from Bonnie and Ella—Damon then followed.

"So…what happens now?" Ella asked.

Bonnie put a couple of vervain plants in Ella's hands and stepped back to her spell book, "I'm going to call on the spirits."

Ella nodded, "What do you need me to do?"

"Close your eyes and try to clear your mind." Bonnie said while flipping through some pages.

Bonnie started to chant something that Ella didn't understand. The lights in the room flickered—going out and plunging the room with darkness. Suddenly Ella felt stinging pain traveling all throughout her—from her feet to her head. But she didn't want Bonnie to stop with the spell so she bit her lip and held her screams from escaping her.

After what seemed like hours, but what she logically knew was only a few minutes, the lights went back on and continued flickering. Ella looked at Bonnie, she appeared to be having a conversation with someone that Ella couldn't see. But she noticed that Bonnie didn't stop the spell, she just kept on chanting.

Ella moved about in the circle—trying to prevent Bonnie from realizing that she was experiencing a lot of pain, but then suddenly the pain went away—Bonnie had stopped chanting and the lights were no longer flickering.

Blood ran down Bonnie's nose as she asked, "Are you okay Ella?" She wiped the remaining blood away.

Ella drew in a long breath of air, "Yeah…I'm fine, I'm okay."

Elena ran into the room—Stefan and Damon on her heels, "Are you okay?" she asked with worry.

Ella slowly got up from the circle, "Yeah I'm fine, it was a little painful, but I'm okay…I swear."

Damon tilted his head to the side and strained his eyes, "Look, your hand!" he exclaimed in bewilderment while pointing at Ella.

Ella gasped when her eyes saw her hand; an intricate white pattern started forming. Her skin was already extremely pale so it was very hard to see the white design, but she could see it if her eyes were squinted, "What's happening?" she asked in confusion.

No one answered her.

The pattern turned into a floral design and started traveling up her arm and neck—all the way up to the side of her forehead. She lifted the bottom part of her jeans and saw that the pattern traveled all the way down her legs as well.

Bonnie walked over and touched the design on her arm—nothing happened. "It's probably a manifestation of the spell. The spirits marked you."

Ella continued to examine the floral design, "Is that bad?"

Bonnie slightly lifted her shoulders, "Maybe…maybe not, I don't know—there's really no way of knowing."

Stefan stepped forward, "We should see if the spell worked or not."

Ella took a deep breath, "You're right." She walked over to Stefan and made eye contact with him, "You should try and compel me."

Elena stepped forward and touched her shoulder, "That can wait if you are too tired, we can figure this all out later."

Ella continued making eye contact with Stefan, "No, it's alright…go on ahead—compel me."

Stefan's eyes expanded; "Lift your right arm up and wave it five times."

Ella smiled; the spell had worked, "No thank you…I would not like to do that at this time Stefan."

Everyone looked extremely relieved.

"Finally, something good is happening." Damon muttered.

Ella turned to look at Bonnie, "Thank you—I'm so glad I can't be compelled. It makes everything so much easier."

Bonnie looked at her a little sadly, "I wouldn't thank me yet. The spirits were shouting at me while I was doing the spell. My Gram even had harsh words for me—they were angry, so angry." She sighed and with a strained voice she revealed, "Ella, I think they may have taken it out on you…they said they would punish you because the natural balance in now displaced."

Ella shrugged her shoulders, "It's okay, I guess I'll deal with that punishment when it comes. Regardless, I'm still thankful."

Bonnie just nodded her head.

"So what are we going to do now?" Elena asked with a bit of hesitation.

"I need to find Klaus." Ella stated simply.

Elena looked at her worriedly, "Are you sure?"

Ella gave a small smile, "He can't hurt me—I'm probably the only person who can say that they are safe around him." She looked at the door and started walking toward it, "Besides, I think it is high-time that I have a chat with him."

"Good luck." Stefan called out.

Ella walked out the door and to her car that Damon had earlier fetched for her, "I hope I won't need it." Ella muttered to herself.

* * *

><p>Ella was sitting in the tall grass of the field she loved so much, her hands pressing into the earth and emptying out all the emotions her body had accumulated. She thought it was rather clever to come back to this spot—this spot where she had first met Klaus and this whole ordeal started. She knew it was only a matter of time now before Klaus found her—she wasn't under a cloaking spell anymore.<p>

"Come and find me…" Ella whispered out into the wind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you so much to the people who reviewed the previous chapter, it means so much to me and really helps motivate me. It would be sooo amazing if I could reach the 100 reviews mark. Do you think you guys could do that? If so, I could commit to having the next chapter out by or before January 7th. Regardless, I hope you guys have a Happy New Year!<strong>

**Thank you so much: ILoveYou1978, NoseInANovel, Mrs. Barnes, and ThePhantomismyLove. And of course a huge thanks to all my anonymous reviewers as well. **

**What do you think is going to happen when Klaus finally meets up with Ella again? What were the preparations he needed to discuss with Gretchen? Review and find out by January 7th or before. :)**


	10. My Will Be Done

**Disclaimer: I am in no way connected to nor own the Vampire Diaries.**

**AN: I'm updating a little sooner than I said I would, I got really excited about this chapter. And I have 96 reviews so far, do you want to know how excited I would be if I went over the 100 mark? Like super duper luper nuper wuper and every other word that rhymes with super...excited. :) Oh and just a heads up, I went back through chapters 1 - 9 and edited them, there are about 700 added words and most of the changes happened in the first two chapters. But honestly, the integrity of the material is still the same...it just sounds and reads a bit better now, so unless it tickles your fancy...there's no need to go back and read the edited stuff. **

**Oh and lastly, I would highly recommend that before you read this chapter you internalize that this story is in the 'angst' section. Okay, have we all internalized that now?...Yes? Okay, good...here you go. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Klaus was seated in one of the most obnoxiously uncomfortable banana chairs he had ever had the misfortune of encountering. Gretchen had placed him there and told him not to move while she performed the spell. She could have picked anywhere for him to sit and stay still—she was obviously purposefully trying to annoy him.<p>

Rebekah was standing off in a corner, trying her best not to burst into laughter, "Aww, Nik…you look so cute all hunched over in your seat like that." She got out her smartphone that she was still trying to learn how to use, "Can I take a picture? I want to upload it to Bookface."

Klaus scowled, "No you may not upload a picture of me to _Facebook._" Klaus said making sure to stress the actual correct pronunciation of the social media site.

Rebekah laughed, "Hey, I'm new to all of this." She said while attempting to snap the picture anyway but got a blurry picture of herself instead.

Klaus just glared at her and started tapping his foot in anticipation, he hoped the spell Gretchen performed would work—he couldn't afford for it not to.

Gretchen called out, "Stop tapping your foot Klaus, it's messing with the energies."

Klaus sighed and did his best to stand as still as a statue. He didn't even know what the hell _energies_ meant, it sounded like a made up concept to him—but he complied anyway.

An hour later Gretchen finally stopped her spell casting, "I think it will work, I've gone through every possibility."

Klaus finally stood up from the banana chair and stretched out his back, "You know I can't afford for any mistakes."

Gretchen smirked, "Well then I suggest for you to go and find out if I made one or not. You already know where she is."

Klaus raked his fingers through his hair while nodding.

"Finally!" Rebekah exclaimed from her corner. "Something actually interesting to do." She smiled a little bit, "I've been looking forward to seeing how you interact with your carissimi."

Klaus muttered as Rebekah followed him out the door, "Let's just get this over with."

* * *

><p>Ella looked at her surroundings as she sat in the grassy field, the sun slowly moved across the sky; it had been a few hours since she had arrived in the field, she was sure Klaus would have found her by now. But she didn't mind waiting, her new tattoo glistened in the sunlight—its white floral pattern was much more noticeable to her now. The tattoo was now a reminder; she had messed with the natural balance and order—the universe would eventually see to a punishment. But Ella was no longer afraid of any punishment, she was at peace with her decision—helping Elena was the right thing to do. She didn't want to live her life obsessing; she accepted her fate, regardless of what may happen.<p>

Ella peacefully closed her eyes and let the warmth from the sun soak into her—she felt a gush of wind and immediately just knew. She slowly opened her eyes, "Hello." She simply said to Klaus and Rebekah standing a couple feet away from her.

Klaus scrutinized her from where he was standing, "Your skin…" he remarked, his eyes widening in surprise.

Ella looked down at her new markings and then back up at Klaus, "It was a side-effect of the spell; I don't know when they will go away, or even if they will."

"You should have listened to me and not have done it; it's never wise to make the spirits angry love." Klaus said in anger.

Ella shook her head and softly said, "I had to find a way to stop you."

Klaus walked over and knelt in the grass in front of her sitting form, "It was all for naught little one."

"What do you mean?" Ella cautiously asked.

Klaus just ignored her, "Rebekah, come over here and test to see if she really can't be compelled."

Rebekah sped over and made direct eye contact with her, "Stand up Ella." she said as her eyes expanded.

Ella made no move to stand up.

Klaus sighed and looked like he wasn't looking forward to what would happen next, "Thank you Rebekah, we're going to be staying at our house in Mystic Falls. Gretchen is securing the perimeter around it." He looked at Ella but still addressed Rebekah, "Would you mind setting up a room for Ella to stay in, she's going to be staying with us."

Ella started quickly shaking her head, "No…no, no I'm not!"

Rebekah had already sped away.

"Klaus I am not staying with you." She firmly stated.

Klaus just looked at her with no expression, her worry starting to seep into him.

"I forbid you from taking me to your house." Ella said, again trying to get him to respond. She gave him a direct command so he would have to obey her order.

Klaus sat all the way down in the grass and picked up a yellow flower growing to the side of him—he twirled it in his hand, "Ella, I have something to tell you that you aren't going to like."

Ella bit on her lip with worry, "Are you saying that you broke the carissimi bond?"

Klaus' full attention was on the flower—picking at the petals, "No, that can't be done little one. I merely found a loophole to the obeying clause of the curse." The flower he had in his hand now had no petals in it, "Do you honestly believe I would have come here if I knew that my freewill would be susceptible to your direct commands?"

Ella reached out and touched Klaus' knee, "What did you do?"

"Nothing nearly as extreme as you, I assure you." He threw the flower with no petals far into the distance and then looked down at where Ella's hand was on his knee, "I can feel you becoming more worried and scared, there's no need to be—you already know I won't harm you." He lightly traced the newly white floral pattern on her hand, still seeming so bewildered that it was even there.

Ella looked up into the sky and withdrew her hand from his knee, "Klaus, taking me to your house against my will would harm me."

Klaus scoffed, "You know what I mean."

Ella shook her head, "I don't, but feel free to explain it to me. What did you do?"

"If I hear a demand from you, I would have to obey it." He gave a half smirk, "So Gretchen completed a spell that assures that I'll never _hear_ a demand from you."

Ella's eyes shone with confusion, "You mean…"

"Instead of your commands being heard by me, I see them in written form instead—they are visually projected into my mind." He stood up and held out his hand for Ella to take, "It's the loophole that will allow me to take you back to my house, even though you commanded me not to." He gestured with his other hand for her to stand up and take his hand, "If I can't physically hear the commands, I don't have to obey them."

Ella remained on the ground and ignored his outreached hand for her to take, "Klaus I meant what I said, I'm not willingly going to your house with you." Ella calmly stated. She looked at Klaus with a firm expression, she was not going to roll over and accept his hand.

Klaus scrunched his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "Ella, this is pointless." He then crouched down next to her sitting in the grass, "You know that it will end with you coming with me, you are just making this difficult."

Ella laughed, "My purpose in life isn't to make things easier for you Klaus."

Klaus gritted his teeth, "I am well aware of that."

Nonchalantly, Ella asked, "So what are you going to do?"

Klaus grabbed ahold of her arms and Ella immediately began resisting him as hard as she could. She thrashed about, pointlessly trying to move out of his grip. Even though she was no match for his strength, she was slightly stronger than the average human—Klaus concluded that her being an empath probably contributed to that.

Because she was slightly stronger, there was a better likelihood that she would accidently hurt herself trying to resist him so Klaus tried to soothe her. He brought his arms completely around her stomach in a vice-like grip with her back against his chest, "Shh…Ella, it's okay. Please, stop…I'm afraid you're going to hurt yourself—I don't want to inadvertently hurt you."

She made no effort to listen.

Klaus decided he was just going to hold her until she either calmed down or grew too exhausted. He figured that staying in the field was probably the best way to calm her. He could feel her frustration growing; she was becoming more and more hysterical. He just stayed still and tried to reason with her, "I can't just let you go Ella, you're my weakness—somebody could use you against me." He moved his head down so it was resting on the back of her head, "You're not safe out there by yourself."

"I've been doing just fine." Ella hissed.

"But you're practically as fragile as a human; your skin so easily bruises, your bones could completely shatter in less than a second. One misstep, one accident—it would all be over for me." He noticed that Ella's resistance was beginning to die down; he suspected she was getting tired, "Perhaps after the ritual to turn myself into a hybrid we could have a real discussion about you venturing out into the world with bodyguards, but right now I need to not have to worry about your safety." He turned her around in his arms and let go of her, "I just need you to be safe."

Ella looked up into his eyes with frustration still coloring the features of her face, "I don't want you to do the ritual; I don't want you to kill Elena."

Klaus nodded his head, "I know little one, I know."

He then picked her up and sped back to his house in Mystic Falls, now all newly protected—warding off anyone that wasn't supposed to be there or keeping in anyone who wasn't supposed to venture out.

* * *

><p>Klaus set Ella down so her feet touched the floor when they made it back to his house. Ella looked around at her surroundings, everything looked so beautiful and immaculate—it was decorated with things Ella could tell had a history behind them.<p>

Klaus jostled her out of her admiration, "You can go anywhere you'd like in the house; I'm sure there will be many rooms that are to your satisfaction: I have a full-time staff that cleans and cooks, there's a library, a pool room, a gym, and I'm sure Rebekah will soon be installing an in-house movie theater—she's become obsessed with movies since she woke up."

Ella nodded and didn't respond to anything he just told her, "I can't leave because of a spell Gretchen performed on your house, right?"

Klaus gritted his teeth—not wanting to get into this again, "That's correct."

Ella looked up at him pleadingly, "There is one thing that's not here that I would like, especially if I am going to be staying here for a long time."

"What is it Ella?"

"My violin…" She looked at how torn he suddenly looked, "Please Klaus, it's really important to me."

"Fine Ella, I'll go get it tonight." Klaus said looking off to the side of her.

Ella gave him a small smile, "Thank you."

Klaus ignored her gratitude and asked, "Is it at your apartment?"

"Yeah, it is." She suddenly got a worried look on her face, "If you see my roommate Samantha, promise me you won't hurt her Klaus."

Klaus felt her worry seep into him, "Why would I hurt her?"

"People keep telling me that you're the most evil vampire in existence—that you've done so many terrible, horrible things."

Klaus' jaw tensed at her words.

She looked at the ground, "You might see her as inconvenient and decide it would be better if she was dead. I don't know; to be honest, I don't really know a lot about how you operate."

"I've already compelled her not to worry about you, but if you need me to promise you—I promise I won't hurt her." Klaus said trying to get his point across.

"Okay, I believe you." Ella said quietly.

Klaus walked over to his fancy living room couch and gestured for Ella to come join him, "Since I am going out of my way to retrieve your violin for you, I'd like for you to answer a few questions I have."

Ella cautiously sat down on the couch, "I'm not going to tell you where Elena is." She looked into Klaus' blue eyes and saw amusement in them. But Ella was determined not to give anything away that would help him get to Elena. Even though the original plan was now blown to smithereens, Ella still wanted to try and find a way to stop him.

Klaus gave a full grin, "Oh, I don't need you to tell me anything love."

Ella started feeling a little fearful, "Why…not?"

"Because I've been waiting to become a hybrid for over a thousand years; I'm methodical, and I don't make mistakes." His cunning smile seemed to get even bigger, "But those baby vampires who are protecting the doppelgänger eventually will."

Ella didn't say anything to that.

Klaus gestured to her, "No, my questions are purely just about you my carissimi."

"What do you want to know?"

Klaus' features grew angrier, "When that stupid, selfish witch performed the spell that made the spirits so angry that they marked you…" He gestured at her new tattoo, "Did the spirits tell her anything about what they were going to do to you?"

Ella shrugged her shoulders, "She just said they told her that they were going to punish me."

Klaus gestured for her to continue with his hand.

"That was it." She looked at his still angry eyes, "They didn't tell her how or when."

Klaus sighed, "How unhelpful. I'll have Gretchen look into it."

Ella nodded, "Thanks."

"You don't seem too worried; you made a stupid decision Ella—angering the spirits is no light matter." Klaus said annoyed at how uncaring she looked.

"I made my decision Klaus to help clear my conscience, whatever happens next will happen." Ella said staring off at a painting of a grand piano she found interesting.

"I felt your pain." Klaus gently said.

Ella took her eyes of the painting and looked back at him.

Klaus looked at her white floral markings on her arm instead of making eye contact, "I assume it was during the spell. I wasn't able to feel any emotions or anything from you while you were away. But I certainly felt that—it, it…must have been excruciating."

Ella nodded in agreement; it was certainly one of the worst pains she had ever felt.

"The tattoo, does it reach everywhere on your body?" Klaus curiously asked.

"Yeah, from my head to my toes; I don't mind it though, I think it's kinda pretty—it suits me."

Klaus stood up from the couch and held his hand out, "One last question; where's your cell phone?"

Ella narrowed her eyes, "Why?"

Klaus slightly wiggled his fingers, "I want to make sure you can't communicate with anyone you shouldn't be talking to."

Ella sighed and reached into her back pocket, "Damon retrieved it from my apartment when I was with them." She then put her cell phone in his hand, "Of course you would want it."

Klaus ignored her slight aggression in her last comment and crushed her cell phone in his hands, "Feel free to ask one of my staff which room Rebekah chose for you. Get comfortable, explore, do whatever—I don't care."

Ella looked longingly at her crushed cell phone.

"I'll be back with your violin soon." Klaus said as he walked over and threw her now destroyed cell phone in the trash on his way out the door.

As soon as the front door closed Ella went over to the painting she was looking at earlier, the grand piano. She admired the details of the painting; the colors used were truly beautiful. But behind the grand piano, there was a shadow of a human—it gave the painting a lonely feel. Ella looked into the corner of the painting and saw Klaus' signature, "Of course you painted this." she quietly remarked to herself.

Ella looked around Klaus' house, it was quiet—the only thing that breathed life into it was the various emotions she could feel from Klaus' house staff. Everything else around her just seemed dark and dreary—lonely.

After Ella had that realization, a cheerful staff maid approached her, "May I show you to your room Miss Ella?"

Ella looked the maid over; she looked really young and had bright red hair. She also had freckles that lightly dusted her cheeks. Ella smiled at the young maid, "Sure, I'd love to see my room."

The staff maid led Ella up the stairs, "It has everything you should need—I'm confident it will be to your satisfaction, but if you need anything else just give me a holler, my name's Rosie." She looked back at her as she was climbing the stairs, "I've been charged with looking out for you."

As Rosie led Ella through many turns and more staircases, she made sure to point of the highlights of the house—the library, gym, pool, etc. "Here you are…" Rosie said as she stopped in front of a door, "I believe this is the room Rebekah picked out for you." She opened the door and pushed it wide open so Ella could see inside.

The room was gigantic; king size bed, many dressers, a big television, walk-in closet, a connecting bathroom—it was a lot for Ella to take in, just this room was bigger than her entire apartment.

After Rosie had shown her around, she went to leave Ella to her devices.

"Wait Rosie…" Ella called out.

"Yes Miss Ella?" Rosie asked turning back to her.

"Is Elijah staying here? Do you know where he is?" Ella asked not wanting to be surprised if she ran into the vampire who previously stabbed her.

Rosie paused for a moment, "I don't believe he will be staying here…no."

Ella was confused; Elijah had been Klaus' right-hand man this entire time, "Why not?"

Rosie looked behind her to check for other people walking past the room and whispered, "I believe Elijah was daggered by Mr. Mikaelson. He will not be returning."

_Daggered?_ Ella was sure she had heard Rebekah mention that word before when she caught Ella snooping around the cabin attic. "Thank you Rosie." she said dismissing her, not wanting to get her into more trouble by asking more questions.

"You're welcome Miss Ella." Rosie quickly exited the room to attend to other things.

Ella reached in her back pocket and pulled out the horrific painting of Klaus ripping out the heart of an old woman—the titled 'Carissimi' painting. She unfolded the painting that was folded into fourths and stared at it for a few moments. She was still baffled as to the context of the painting, but was too afraid to ask Klaus—he would most certainly not want her questioning him about it. She walked over to her nearest dresser and pulled the top drawer open; she hid the painting under some socks and then closed the drawer—she resolved for its secrets to be unraveled at a later time.

* * *

><p>Klaus walked into Ella's apartment, her roommate was nowhere to be seen but he felt like something was off. Like there was someone else—hiding, watching him. Klaus saw Ella's violin case in the living room corner; he walked over and picked it up, setting it down on the coffee table. But he still felt off, "Whoever's out there you better come out, I've never been the biggest fan of surprises."<p>

Nothing happened.

Klaus started spinning his head in every direction, "Come on mate, you know I'll find you."

Slowly Stefan Salvatore sauntered from out of a room in the back of the apartment.

Klaus smirked, "Ah, Stefan…of course."

"What have you done with Ella?"

"Oh is that why you were in her apartment? Thought she might return here when she was done commanding me not to participate in the ritual?" Klaus asked while still smirking.

In his usual bored and fearless tone Stefan remarked, "Well, she would have gotten back to us by now if she had succeeded." He stopped and his eyes searched Klaus curiously, "Which means you did something."

Klaus sped over and started walking in circles around Stefan, "I must say, I knew I was the far cleverer one, but I never suspected a baby vampire to be this stupid. I knew I'd had have to wait for a mistake, but in my wildest dreams I never expected it to be this soon."

Stefan's eyes narrowed as he continued to watch Klaus walk in circles around him, "What do you mean?"

Klaus suddenly stopped directly in front of Stefan, "Checkmate…mate." He started laughing, "Stefan, did you know that original vampires have the ability to compel other vampires?"

Stefan's eyes widened in understanding, "You can't compel the safe-house location from me. Bonnie made sure that the protection spell covered that." Stefan quickly said.

Klaus started taunting, "Tut, tut Stefan…that wasn't what I was referring to." He then paused for a dramatic effect, "No guesses?"

Stefan gritted his teeth and didn't respond.

"You are Elena's gentleman caller…are you not?" Klaus asked with a wide smile. "I would imagine the doppelgänger would be extremely distressed if she were to discover that I was harming you."

Stefan started to frown.

"Perhaps enough to come out of hiding?..." Klaus asked condescendingly.

"Damon won't let her."

Klaus walked even closer, "We'll see about that." His eyes expanded, "You are to follow me back to my house and will not try to escape."

The compulsion settled over Stefan and he nodded his head.

Klaus patted Stefan on the back, "I'm so glad you are being cooperative." He walked over and picked up Ella's violin case from where he had left it on the coffee table. "Follow me."

* * *

><p>Ella had spent the last half hour in Klaus' library, running around the tall bookcases and looking at the many different books he had—many of them super old. She could only imagine the hundreds of years it took to amass this many books. He of course had all the classics, Ella thought he most certainly seemed like the guy who would. Ella wanted to choose something she had never read before, which definitely wasn't impossible in this library. She found a book title that looked interesting, <em>Leaves of Grass<em>—a collection of poems; she was in the mood for some poetry. Walking over to what looked like the comfiest love seat in the room, Ella sat down and started reading, but after reading a few poems she eventually started drifting off.

It could only have been minutes later when Ella was jolted awake by extremely strong emotions: fear and pain. She heard some distant screams and started running in the direction of them, her poetry book forgotten on the floor. Navigating the many hallways was difficult; she got lost a few times, but eventually made her way back to the main floor. She scanned the area, not seeing Klaus and _whoever_ he was obviously torturing.

Suddenly some moans of pain sounded from what seemed like beneath her. _Is there a basement?_ Ella started running around the main floor, trying to find basement stairs. She was worried about this individual; she could tell there was a lot of pain, to the point where his or her breaking point was quickly reaching. The emotions were clearly emoting so she suspected the individual was a vampire, which was even more troubling—why would Klaus be torturing a vampire?

Klaus' house-maid Rosie rounded the corner with some linen—walking at a brisk pace to her destination. Ella immediately ran over so she could catch up with her.

Rosie looked surprised and stopped, "Is there something I can help you with Miss Ella?"

"Where's the basement?" Ella asked while panting—slightly out of breath from all her running.

Rosie paused conflicted; she was in charge of Ella—supposed to give her anything she needed, "I don't think Mr. Mikaelson would want you down there right now."

Still panting, "Please Rosie, I need to go down there—someone is being hurt."

Rosie looked around nervously, "They probably deserve it Miss Ella."

Ella narrowed her eyes, "You know that's not true."

Rosie's eyes widened, "I know no such thing." She then whispered, "He'll be cross with me if I tell you—he can be quite scary, we're not supposed to interfere."

"I won't tell him." Ella looked at her imploringly, "Please…"

Rosie sighed and pointed to a door to the left of her, about fifteen feet away.

"Thanks!" Ella called out, running to the door. She quickly opened it and dashed down the stairs leading downward, afraid of what she would soon see.

Ella heard Klaus' voice before she saw anything, "There we go, aren't you a lovely specimen. Do you think it's time to call Elena now?"

Ella reached the bottom of the stairs; the room was poorly lit with a light above flickering every few seconds. The room was large and spacious and consisted only of cement with drainage pipes on the floor that Ella didn't think were meant for water. But the most disconcerting thing Ella saw was Stefan Salvatore propped up on a vertical wooden slab—his shirt was off and his arms and legs chained. There were various stakes embedded in his body in strategic places designed to bring the most pain—most were centimeters away from his heart. His blood was flowing freely and he was moaning softly.

Ella looked back and forth between him and Klaus, "What in the world are you doing?!" she directed at Klaus in bewilderment.

Klaus whose attention was previously focused solely on Stefan turned his head toward Ella—noticing her presence, "Leave now Ella." Klaus said as his eyes darkened.

Ella rushed over to Stefan and attempted to pull out one of the stakes in his body, but before she could reach him Klaus shoved her away—she fell on the cement, scraping her knees a little.

Ella got up from the cement and looked incredulously at Klaus, "Did you just push me?!" She shook her head, "Did you really just do that?"

Klaus' face was now a blank mask, "I've already told you that you need to leave."

"No!" she shouted. "Let him go."

A maniacal smile started creeping onto Klaus' face, "What was that last part you just said?"

Ella gritted her teeth, "Let Stefan go Klaus." She gestured at Stefan, seemingly too weak to do anything but slightly moan in pain.

"Hmm…this spell is miraculous." Klaus openly started laughing, "I mean…I know you want me to let him go, but I didn't actually hear it." He stopped laughing and looked at her seriously, "This is your last chance Ella; I know you are feeling his emotions and want me to stop, but I'm not going to. This is the mistake the baby vampire made and I'm cashing in on it." Klaus gestured around the room, "Unless you want a seat up close and personal to Stefan's torture, I suggest you leave."

Stefan breathily whispered, "Go…away Ella."

Ella shook her head, her eyes filled with unshed tears. But she made no move to leave, "Don't do this."

Klaus shook his head in annoyance and snarled, "I warned you." He grabbed Ella's arm and started dragging her to a wall that was facing Stefan.

Ella panicked, "Klaus!? What are you doing?"

Klaus was extremely angry at her, he had an opportunity—one he had waited nearly a thousand years for. _Why didn't she understand that?_

Ella started pulling back against his grip but it was no use.

"I'm giving you the front row seat that you opted for." Klaus angrily stated. He brought two long chains down from the upper part of the walls and used them to cuff her arms—the clinking sounds making it all too real for Ella. Klaus pulled back and looked at Ella chained to the wall—she was tugging on the chains, not quite believing what he just did.

"You chained me up?! Chains Klaus…really?" Ella exasperatingly asked.

Klaus shrugged in indifference; her emotions of confusion, hate, and disgust not really bothering him at the moment. "You wouldn't listen and I need you out of the way." Klaus turned his back on Ella and walked over to Stefan—clasping his hands together, "So mate, where were we…?" He brought his finger up as though he suddenly just got the idea, "Ah, yes…the lovely Elena."

Stefan just looked at him with hatred in his eyes.

Klaus pulled out a cell phone, "This is your cellphone is it not?" Klaus asked ignoring Stefan because he already knew the answer. "I'm sure you have the doppelgänger's number programmed in here somewhere." He shuffled through Stefan's contacts, "Ah, here it is!" Stefan's phone was a smartphone so he made sure to make it a video-chat so that he and Elena could have a conversation face-to-face. "It's ringing, oh isn't the anticipation building?" Klaus asked as he shoved one of the stakes further into Stefan's body.

"No!" Ella cried out as Stefan moaned in pain.

Klaus turned back to her, "Hush Ella. For every time you make a sound I'm going to add an extra stake into Stefan." He gestured over at his collection of stakes on the ground, "Do you understand?"

Tears started leaking out of Ella's face—she nodded her understanding, making sure not to verbalize it so he wouldn't use that as an excuse to stake Stefan again.

Klaus smiled, "Good." He then looked down at the phone in his hand, "Oh look!" he said showing the phone to Stefan, "It's connecting." He turned the phone back to him so he could greet Elena.

Elena's face suddenly popped up on the screen and she immediately showed confusion since it wasn't Stefan.

Klaus slightly wiggled his fingers in a 'hello' movement at her, "Elena my dear, I'm so glad I got in touch with you."

Elena's eyes widened, "Damon!" she called out.

Damon sped over to where she was seated and saw Klaus on her phone screen—he put a protective hand on Elena's shoulder.

"He's using Stefan's phone." Elena nervously told Damon.

"What is this Klaus, why in the world would you have Stefan's phone?" Damon glared at Klaus through the phone, "Where is he?"

"Ah yes, silly me…of course you are worried about him. Let me put him on, just one moment." The phone went shaky for a moment and then focused on a bleeding-out Stefan.

"Stefan!" Elena worriedly called out.

"You see Elena I have a goal." Klaus said while still focusing the phone on Stefan. "This goal requires me sacrificing you in just over a week; it will be the full-moon and all—apparently that's the best magical time for rituals." He walked closer to Stefan and his hand lightly grazed the stakes—suddenly pushing one that was extremely close to his heart even deeper.

Stefan cried out in pain—panting, "Leave…her out of this." He spat some blood out of his mouth.

Ella still watched the exchange in silent horror from where she was chained up to the wall, unable to do anything in fear that Klaus would hurt him even more.

Klaus brought the phone back so it focused on him, "I will release Stefan if you give yourself up to me." He gave a catty smile, "Your little boyfriend here will never have to worry about me again—he'll be as free as a bird."

Damon still looked hardened—giving Klaus a death glare. But Elena had a few tears falling down her cheeks, "What will you do if I refuse?" she asked.

With no emotion Klaus darkly declared, "I'll kill him."

Ella broke her silence, "No…you can't do that Klaus!"

Klaus whipped around and glared at Ella.

Damon's face shone in confusion, "Wait, was that Ella's voice?"

"You have her too? What have you done to her?" Elena demanded.

Ella was breathing in ragged deep breaths.

Klaus just continued glaring at her, "She's fine." he finally answered. "But I made a deal with her and she just broke it, now Stefan will have to pay for the consequences." He walked over to the stakes he had lying on the ground and picked one up and looked back at Ella.

Ella's eyes immediately had a pleading look in them; she poured all her energy into her emotions—trying to get Klaus to feel how sorry she was for making a noise and how badly she didn't want him to harm Stefan again.

Klaus looked away from Ella, "I'm sorry Ella, that's not going to work." He walked over and plunged the stake he had just picked up directly above Stefan's knee—making sure the phone captured every detail and howl of pain from Stefan.

"Stop!" Elena cried out. "Just stop!"

Klaus turned the phone back to him, "Are we ready to come to an agreement?"

Damon stepped in before Elena could answer, "There is no freakin' way in which I would allow her to turn herself over to you."

"Damon!" Elena turned to look at Damon and then turned back to the phone, "I…I…" Elena started stuttering.

"Careful doppelgänger, choose wisely." Klaus narrowed his eyes, "I will not stop at just Stefan; I will go after Damon and any family member you hold dear. I hear you have an aunt and a brother, there is not a place they can run and hide—I will hunt down everyone you have ever loved." He pointed at her through the phone, "You will eventually break; the only question that remains is how many people you will allow to die for you."

Elena started openly sobbing and reached out to Stefan through the phone, "I have to go Damon, I have to go…"

Klaus smiled, "That's a good girl."

Damon's entire body stilled—he had made a decision, "I am not going to let you die Elena, you are not going to be a lamb for the slaughter."

"…Damon no!" Elena screamed. But the phone went black—Damon had disconnected the call.

Klaus' jaw tensed, "No…no…" he muttered. He dialed Elena's number again—no answer. Again he dialed—no answer. A third time—no answer. He put the phone back in his pocket and took a deep breath.

Stefan was barely even conscious—looking wearingly at Klaus.

"No, you may not speak yet Ella." Klaus said bringing up the palm of his hand toward Ella—anticipating a comment from her.

Ella just bit her lip; wanting more than anything not to see what she expected might come next.

Klaus focused in on Stefan, "It appears your little girlfriend is no longer taking my calls." He reached over and patted Stefan's cheek, "No doubt the reason is because of your brother—quite the protective one of _your_ girl….isn't he?"

Stefan didn't say anything to that comment.

"How does it feel to know that your brother is signing your death warrant?" Klaus taunted.

Stefan weakly looked over at Klaus, "He's protecting Elena—I wouldn't want him to do anything less." He slowly moved his head to look over at Ella, "Remember this. Remember him as this…" He spat more blood onto the cement and then harshly said, "He's a monster—don't let him convince you he's anything different."

Ella shook the chains around her arms a little and nodded, "I…I won't."

Klaus side-stepped into Stefan's view of Ella, "Are you ready Stefan?"

Stefan looked up at Klaus—resigned to his fate, "Ella, if you see Elena again…tell her, tell her I love her."

Ella brokenly started crying, "Klaus…"

"Do what you will…" Stefan muttered to Klaus.

Klaus smirked, "I always do mate." He then plunged his hand into Stefan's chest and gripped his beating heart. He squeezed it a little, "See you in another lifetime." Klaus then yanked Stefan's heart out of his body, throwing the now lifeless heart to the other side of the room…right in front of Ella's feet.

Ella looked down at the heart in gaping horror as Stefan's form greyed into nothingness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So yeah...that just happened. Was the warning about the whole 'angst' section enough to prepare you? Reviews are the best thing since sliced bread! Well actually, I've never really liked bread so they are even better. :) I'd love to know what you're thinking, feeling, or any ideas you have for what you think might come next, any disappointment out there, or even a rant about how often I update. Just let me know, I'd love to hear from you in a review. Reviews are my lifeblood, it is what motivates me to keep going. <strong>

**Thank you to all the people who reviewed last chapter (it means so much):**

**InaBenihime, Mrs. Barnes, bubbles1311143, NoseInANovel, Daisywoo, ILoveYou1978, and lexi1864.**

**Mrs. Barnes: **Hopefully I answered your tattoo question in this chapter. Ella doesn't really know how long the markings will last, but it seems to be staying. I doubt I'd write about it suddenly leaving her, I think it is a pretty safe bet that it is permanent...but who knows, maybe in the future my muse might say differently (I highly doubt it though...).

**bubbles1311143: **I hope you had a fabulous birthday and that you liked this chapter. :)

**NoseInANovel: **I think there was sympathy and understanding in this chapter, at least until it took a dark turn. Hopefully it didn't disappoint. :)


	11. The Aftermath Beckons Us All

**AN: This chapter took quite awhile because I had to be very delicate in how I wanted to portray the aftermath of what happened in the last chapter. I wanted to get it to be _exactly_ as I envisioned it. This chapter comes pretty close to it; I lost count of how many times I changed the outcomes of this chapter. Hopefully you guys will enjoy it, it was really fun to write. :)**

* * *

><p>Ella continued to stare at Stefan's heart at her feet; it went in and out of her vision—the singular light still flickering above. "What…what did you do?" Ella whispered out to Klaus still gaping at the heart—too stunned to take her eyes off of it.<p>

Klaus ignored Ella and snapped a photo of Stefan's gray dead form; he sent it to Elena's cell phone along with the text: _You have three days. Damon is next._

Ella could no longer feel emotions coming off of Stefan—that most definitely wasn't a good sign. _Can a vampire survive without a heart?_ She still was too afraid to look up at Stefan, too afraid to let sink in what had just happened. "What did you do…?" she whispered again.

Klaus put Stefan's cell phone back in his pocket and glanced over at Ella, she appeared to be mesmerized with the heart at her feet—she looked like she was in shock. "I did what had to be done." Klaus finally answered as he took steps closer to Ella.

Ella slowly looked up and saw Stefan's lifeless form—a gaping hole in his chest and extremely gray skin. Tears continued to fall onto her cheeks, "He's dead."

Klaus stopped directly in front of Ella, "Yes, he is."

Ella looked at Klaus and the blood that was splattered all over him—his hands especially, "You…you killed him."

"I'm a vampire little one, it's what I do." Klaus stated uncaringly, running a finger across one of her wet cheeks—a bit of Stefan's blood got smeared on her cheek.

Ella seemed to get lost in her thoughts but she still voiced them, "Everyone was right, you're evil…you're a monster."

Klaus' finger stilled and he withdrew it, "Elena can help me get something I have wanted for over a thousand years." His features hardened, "I've waited for so long, there is no way I am not taking an opportunity when I see it."

"That opportunity was killing the one she loves the most?" Ella asked as her eyes scrunched in confusion.

Klaus shrugged, "I know how to break people. Elena needed a push in the right direction." He looked down at Stefan's heart that was between him and Ella, "It's only a matter of time."

Ella felt a rush of wind before she saw Rebekah—staring at Stefan's dead body.

Rebekah tilted her head her head, not quite understanding what she was seeing, "Stefan?" She pointed at Stefan and then looked back at Klaus and Ella—immediately becoming angry, "This is who you've been torturing, Stefan Salvatore!?"

Klaus looked at Rebekah and rolled his eyes, "Rebekah, don't be like this—it isn't becoming of you."

Rebekah sped over to Klaus—standing directly in front of him, "You knew how I felt about him Nik!" She started sputtering, "We…we…we were in love."

Klaus gave her a cold smile, "He moved on darling. His last words of affection were for the beloved doppelgänger."

Rebekah shook her head, "You killed him because of the doppelgänger?"

"Yes. She refused what I wanted from her." Klaus answered simply.

Rebekah sadly looked at Klaus and in a soft voice asked, "Did you even think of me before you killed him?"

Klaus sneered, "How am I supposed to keep track of which boy gets bestowed your silly affections?"

"So no…you didn't." Rebekah whispered. She looked over Klaus' shoulder and noticed Ella chained up to the wall. "Do you get off putting your carissimi in a vulnerable state?"

Klaus narrowed his eyes, "What I do with my carissimi is none of your concern."

Rebekah gave a fake smile, "Of course it isn't…my bad." Before Klaus could do anything to stop her Rebekah quickly picked up one of his stakes from the floor and hurled it in the air toward Ella—the stake jammed far into her stomach, blood immediately seeping out from her new wound.

Klaus gave Rebekah an incredulous look and rushed to Ella and pulled the stake out, "No…no…Ella, don't fall asleep!"

Ella's breathing became erratic—she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Klaus tore the chains from the wall and moved her so she was lying on the ground. He bit into his wrist and forced his blood into her mouth, she was resisting him.

"No, no! Klaus, get away from me, I don't want it!" she breathily screamed, he was a monster—she didn't want anything from him to be coursing in her veins.

"Hush, everything is going to be okay, just drink little one." Klaus softly said as the blood he was giving her rushed down her throat—her protests ignored.

Rebekah scoffed, "Aww, your interactions are just so adorable." she sarcastically called out from where she stood.

Klaus broke his gaze from Ella, his wrist still in her mouth. He snarled at Rebekah, "I'm going to make you wish I never undaggered you."

Rebekah gave a short laugh, "Ha…too late Nik." She motioned with her fingers for him to come over to her, "Come and kill me, I dare you. I'm sure you have a white-oak stake laying around here somewhere."

Klaus growled, "Rebekah you are becoming more and more dispensable by the second. I only undaggered you because Ella didn't have any ill will towards you, also at the time you could compel her." He gritted his teeth, "This most certainly isn't the 'good girl' behavior we talked about earlier."

Rebekah looked over at Ella and noticed something odd, "I'm pretty sure I'm the least of your problems brother; perhaps you will know what's like to lose someone you care about after all." She sped over and pointed at Ella's bleeding out stomach, "Or haven't you noticed? …Your blood isn't healing her."

Klaus' eyes narrowed and he looked down at Ella in surprise—she indeed wasn't healing, his blood was having no effect on her, something that was supposed to be impossible. "What did you do Rebekah?" He angrily called out to her as he examined Ella.

Rebekah laughed, "_I_ didn't do anything dear brother. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to achieve revenge as sweet as this one." She began laughing uncontrollably, "You're so close to breaking the curse, so close."

Klaus began pressing his hands against the wound, trying to hold the blood back but failing miserably. He cursed and picked Ella up—speeding off. But before he left he sped directly in front of Rebekah who was still laughing uncontrollably, "You better run as fast as you can." His eyes angrily locked with hers, "Because when I make sure my carissimi won't die—I will make sure you won't even have a body to dagger."

* * *

><p>"Quick Klaus; set her on this table!" Gretchen worriedly ordered—he had called her on the way over, explaining the situation.<p>

Klaus placed her on the table, his hand still compressed into her stomach wound—trying to stop Ella's blood from hemorrhaging out of her.

Gretchen was so confused at the sight before her, "It's really true, your blood isn't healing her?"

Klaus didn't respond, just gently shook his head. He stared at Ella's face; she had long since passed out—completely unresponsive. But he could still hear her heartbeat, albeit it was gradually becoming weaker and weaker. Although, he could still feel how much animosity she held toward him, it was the only strong thing projecting to him out of her body; her pain was becoming less and less, which was not a good sign.

Gretchen was hovering over Ella, doing a few spells to try and figure out some way to help her when suddenly Ella sat up, her eyes open.

Klaus tried to gently push her back down, his hand still compressed on her wound, "No..no, just lie down little one, we're trying to help you."

Ella threw up in front of her; but it wasn't bile or any food that she had eaten throughout the day, it was blood…and lots of it.

Klaus' eyes widened, "That's my blood! She threw up my blood. Why would she do that?" He asked as he placed her back down into a laying position.

Gretchen was still in a trance-like state, muttering spells to herself. A minute later she came out of her trance and told him, "You're going to have to take her to a hospital Klaus; I don't think there is anything I can do for her."

Klaus looked so dejected, "Is she rejecting your magic too?"

Gretchen nodded, "Yes, she's not responding to anything—it's like there is this barrier keeping my spells out. I think it's similar to when she was in her catatonic state and repeated everything she gleamed from people, only this time, she's protecting herself from being saved by you and by extension…me."

"She's lost too much blood Gretchen…" Klaus stated, anguished. He picked Ella up from off the table and looked at Gretchen; a look of pure anger marred his face, "Keep Rebekah's location within your mind at all times…she, she….she's going to pay for this."

Gretchen sighed, "From what you told me over the phone as you were bringing Ella here…I think a lot of her condition rests on you." She pointed toward the door, "Now hurry, she needs medical attention immediately!"

Klaus sped off, Gretchen's words plaguing his mind.

* * *

><p>The hospital's ER doors automatically opened for him as he ran inside with Ella limp in his arms. "Help! Please, I need help! Klaus yelled trying to get anyone's attention.<p>

Several emergency personnel staff immediately ran over toward him, "Sir what happened?" Another one asked, "There's a gurney right here, you're going to have to let go of her sir."

Klaus reluctantly set her down on the gurney and allowed them to put pressure on her wound. Questions were flying a mile a minute at him as they rushed her over to the Intensive Care Unit as Klaus followed.

"Sir, is she allergic to any medications?"

"Do you know her blood type?"

"How was she stabbed, do the police need to be called in?"

"Do you know if your wife is pregnant sir?"

Klaus quickly tried answering all of their questions, but feeling quite hopeless on most of them, "I don't know if she's allergic to anything and I don't know her blood type." He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, "It was an accident, she…she tripped on a wood pile I keep for firewood and there was a sharp piece that stabbed her." He sighed, "Also, she's…she's not my wife and she's not pregnant."

They reached the doors that led to the ICU and Klaus tried to follow but one of the doctors stopped him by placing a hand against his chest, "I know you are worried about your…your friend, but she's in good hands now. We're going to do everything we can to help her, but you will only be in the way and distract the doctors if you come back here. There's a waiting room to the left of you, please…wait there. I promise we will update you on her condition." After his speech, the doctor ran into the ICU to catch up with his colleagues that were wheeling Ella away.

Klaus sank to the floor on his knees, his senses becoming too much for him. The colors, the lights, the smells of death and blood—Ella's blood, all over him, the people, the bustling of the hospital, heart monitors, beeping sounds—it was all too much.

After a few minutes a female nurse came up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, "Sir, sir are you alright…do you need medical assistance?"

Klaus shook his head and focused on the nurse; he rose up from his knees and stood up. He honed in on her facial features; noticing every tick, wrinkle and expression that made her face look worried. He locked eyes with her and expanded his eyes, "There's a patient here named Ella…Ella…." He became frustrated with himself, "I don't even know her last name. She's my carissimi and I don't know her last name…" Klaus realized he was starting to ramble so he focused back on compelling the nurse, "Find a girl named Ella in the ICU who was stabbed; just do everything you can for her….okay?"

The nurse nodded and hurried off to the ICU.

Klaus watched the nurse run off and then walked over to the waiting room. He sat down in a chair, covering his face with his hands and waited….anxious for any type of news and feeling more helpless than he had ever felt in his life.

A couple hours later, the same doctor that told him to wait in the waiting room for updates walked into the waiting room; Klaus could tell he was looking for him.

Klaus immediately went over to him with an expectant face, "How is she?"

"We were able to stop the bleeding for now; when your friend was stabbed she sustained injuries to her mesenteric veins, which easily could have resulted in her bleeding out too quickly and dying." He stopped and patted Klaus on the shoulder, "You did good work in keeping her wound compressed and you got her here quickly and safely."

Klaus looked down at the hand on his shoulder and shrugged it off, "Okay, what aren't you telling me?"

The doctor sighed, "Unfortunately she has a lacerated liver. It's pretty severe; we will need to surgically repair it. She also has a diaphragmatic tear which is compromising her breathing capabilities, we will need to go in and repair that as well."

"Okay, then go and do that. Fix her." Klaus stated demandingly.

"We need someone to fill out consent forms; do you know who her emergency contact is? I know you said you aren't her husband, do you know of a family member we can get a hold of?"

Klaus grabbed the man and compelled him, "Just do the surgery, you have all the paperwork you need." He started growling, "Fix her like your life depends on it."

The doctor in his compelled state nodded and exited the waiting room to go and attend to Ella.

Klaus sat back down in his seat from before and worriedly thought over all his options. Ella was hurt, really bad. Maybe the surgery wouldn't even work and she would sustain even more complications. He couldn't afford to let her die, there was too much at stake—his state of mind for starters. But he also didn't want to lose her, she just….she just needed to live and for some reason Ella's body was rejecting _his_ way of helping her. _Maybe she won't with someone else?_ With a decision in mind, Klaus reached into his jacket pocket that had Ella's blood all over it and pulled out Stefan's cell phone. He scrolled through the contacts and then hit number that called Damon Salvatore.

* * *

><p>Damon had been holding Elena's crying form for hours. He couldn't leave her; he was too scared that she would run out of the house and to Klaus in an effort to save others from dying. Klaus had actually killed his brother; he took a snap shot of the horror and everything. And now he had only three days to come up with a plan, a plan to get revenge on Klaus—a plan to kill him. Elena was a wreck; she kept saying that it was her fault, that she should have gone to him and then also switching to being angry at him for not letting her, for hanging up the phone. Damon didn't regret it, he was protecting her…he would always protect her. He jolted out of his musings when his phone started ringing.<p>

Elena looked up from his arms, her eyes puffy from all her tears, "Who's calling you?"

Damon reached down into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, his eyes widened when he saw who it was…Stefan, which could only mean _Klaus._

He hid the phone from Elena's prying eyes, "Someone I need to talk to, don't worry about it. I'm just going to go outside the front door, so don't even think of leaving…okay?"

Elena just desolately nodded and put her head down on the couch pillow.

Damon quickly walked out the door and sat on one of the porch steps to the safe-house. He sighed and answered the phone, "I thought you were going to give us three days." He coldly stated.

No sound came over from the other line.

"Klaus, what game is this?" He grew angrier, "Why are you calling?"

Finally Klaus answered, "I have a proposition for you Damon."

"I am not giving Elena to you." Damon firmly stated.

Klaus sighed, "This is not about Elena mate; well…I guess it is…but not in the way you're thinking."

Damon shook his head, "I'm hanging up now."

Before he could hang up, Klaus quickly threw in, "Do you want to keep Elena safe or not?"

Damon placed the phone back by his ear, "What do you mean by that?"

"I need your help."

"Why? ...What does that have to do with Elena?"

Klaus didn't say anything for a few moments, but continued with, "Ella was stabbed, I can't heal her because at the moment her body is rejecting my blood and also my witch's magic."

Damon scoffed, "How stupid do you think I am? If she dies, you won't be able to function because she's your carissimi. Our problem is solved right there." In an incredulous tone Damon asked, "Why in the world would I help you?"

Klaus tried not to get too impatient with Damon and calmly stated, "Because you care about what Elena thinks of you. She would want you to save Ella—she wouldn't forgive you if you allowed her to die."

Damon sighed and shook his head, "There are a lot of things she won't forgive me for. If allowing Ella to die is one of them, it's a price I would have to pay to keep her safe."

"Did you know that in over one-thousand years of existence, I have never broken a promise?" Klaus slowed down and emphasized every word, "I promise that if you heal Ella with your blood, which will probably work because she trusts you…you are one of the 'good guys' in her mind; I promise that as long as Ella is healthy, safe, and alive…I will never harm one hair on Elena's head. She will be safe from me." He took a deep breath and finished, "You all will be safe from me."

Damon held the phone closer to his ear, "You mean…"

Klaus finished for him, "I will stop pursuing a sacrifice containing the doppelgänger to return to my hybrid form. Elena will never have to worry about me."

Damon got up from the porch step and started pacing back and forth and after a few moments asked, "How do I know this isn't a trick? I could just be walking into a trap if I take this deal."

"I guess you'll have to take a leap…" Klaus answered.

Damon weighed over all the options, "Fine, you have a deal." He gritted his teeth. "Where are you?"

Klaus sounded relieved, "Mystic Falls Hospital, she's getting prepped for surgery but I think we can sneak in and give her your blood before they come and get her."

"I'm on my way." Damon pressed the end call button and then quickly sped off to the hospital.

Klaus put the phone back in his pocket and started pacing back and forth in the waiting room; he couldn't believe what he had just done. Everything…everything he had worked so hard for was now obsolete. And it was all because of _her_...because he couldn't risk her dying. Maybe the surgery would have gone smoothly and she would have made it without any vampire blood in her system. But maybe she would have died on the operating table; even though she's not completely human…she's just so fragile. Or maybe just maybe there was a way to salvage everything, kill two birds with one stone.

Klaus saw Damon enter through the hospital doors and quickly went to greet him, "Follow me."

Damon nodded and followed Klaus as he led them through the doors to the Intensive Care Unit.

"Sir you can't be back here." A nurse called out to them as she approached Klaus.

"Yes we can. Where are you keeping the girl that was stabbed?" Klaus asked as he compelled the nurse.

"Sorry sir, my mistake." She said as she pointed to a door that was about twenty feet from where they stood.

Klaus and Damon swiftly moved into the room and locked the door, shutting all the blinds.

Ella looked so pale and was hooked up to a variety of machines, including a breathing tube that was situated under her nose. Klaus walked over and pushed some of her blonde hair back behind her ear, uncovering a part of her white tattoo on her cheek. He looked over at Damon, "Please fix her."

Damon nodded, "As long as you remember the promise you made."

This was the moment, the moment Klaus planned to negate his deal with Damon and force him to save Ella—then use Damon to force Elena out of hiding. But he realized as he was looking at Ella's still form that he couldn't do it. If Ella could recognize his blood and reject it, she very well could recognize Damon's unwilling and forced blood and reject that too. He of course could chance it and let her be led into surgery—modern medicine could possibly save her. But the risks were too high; there was a definite chance that she could die on the operating table. Klaus decided that he would have to honor his deal with Damon—he would have to give up the doppelgänger, he would have to give up his birth right—his identity, to save _her_.

"Well?" Damon asked. "Do you swear to live up to your end of the bargain? Elena and everyone she cares about will come to no harm."

Klaus looked away from Ella and turned his head to Damon, "I swear that as long as Ella is safe and healthy, Elena will not be harmed by me." He looked back at Ella and picked up her hand, lightly squeezing it with both of his hands. "Just…just please help her."

"Her weird empathic body is rejecting your blood because of what you did to Stefan…isn't it?" Damon asked curiously with a slight gleam of satisfaction in his eyes.

Klaus gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, "Probably. I know she thinks of me as a monster now, someone to fear and hate. She's probably doing this to punish me." He gave a small laugh, "Well, it worked…I've lost everything because of her."

Damon walked over to Ella and tore his teeth into his wrist, letting his blood drip into her mouth and helping her unconscious form swallow it. "Maybe you haven't lost as much as you think." Damon said as he stepped back and watched his blood's effects on Ella.

Ella's face regained a lot of color, no longer looking sickly. Klaus didn't bother checking the wound on her stomach; he could tell…she was going to be just fine, Damon's blood worked.

Suddenly Elena burst into the room with Bonnie behind her; the witch had obviously broken down the door with her magic.

Elena saw Klaus and ran over to him, tugging his arm in desperation, "I surrender to you, I surrender…please, please don't hurt Damon or anyone else. I'll come with you, I swear!"

Klaus snarled and pushed Elena over to Damon who quickly placed Elena behind his back.

Damon glared at Bonnie, "What the hell is Elena doing here? You guys were supposed to stay in the safe-house at all times!"

Elena tried to get past Damon and go back to Klaus, "No…no…I have to surrender." But Damon wasn't allowing her to move from behind him.

Klaus held up his hand in a stopping motion, "I no longer require your services Elena. You don't need to worry about me hurting anyone you love anymore." He stared at Ella's still sleeping form and gestured over at Damon, "Damon did me a favor and in return I no longer will pursue becoming a hybrid." He sighed, "She was dying and now she's going to be okay because of Damon...that's all you really need to know. You're free to live the rest of your life however you choose." He pursed his lips into a fine line, finally looking over at Elena, "I will no longer pursue you."

Elena just stood gaping in surprise.

Klaus made eye contact with Damon and angrily stuttered, "Just…just leave."

Damon nodded his head and pulled a confused looking Elena out the door with him, Bonnie followed from behind.

"Damon…" Klaus called out before Damon had completely left the room.

Damon turned back to Klaus, "What?"

"Would you please compel the surgical team and any other hospital staff that think Ella is still injured?" Klaus asked. "I just want to take her back to my place as quickly as possible."

"Sure." Damon said as he left the room with Bonnie and Elena.

Klaus gently smiled at Ella's healed form and lifted her into his arms. He trailed a single finger across Ella's cheek, "I'm glad you're alright." He whispered to an unconscious Ella.

* * *

><p>Klaus sped into his house with Ella still in his arms and looked around, he didn't see Rebekah anywhere. He supposed that was good thing, he didn't want to deal with Rebekah while he was taking care of Ella. He quickly reached the room he had designated for her and placed her on the bed. He walked over to the curtains and opened them so she would have more natural light when she woke up.<p>

Ella started stirring on the bed.

Klaus nervously walked over and pulled a chair over to her bed and sat down on it, waiting for her to fully become aware of her surroundings. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, or how she would react. Would she start screaming at him? Break down in tears? Demand him away from her? He was feeling so conflicted; he was so angry at her, but yet relieved that she was going to be okay at the same time.

Klaus watched as Ella slowly opened her eyes—within two seconds her eyes went from confused to hardened, she most certainly remembered what happened. She looked down at her stomach and quickly pulled her shirt slightly up and then back down when she was it was in perfect condition—not even a scratch. She rolled her eyes, "Well, I see your unwanted blood worked perfectly; can't say the same for most people who get stabbed not once but twice."

Klaus slightly smiled at her sarcasm, she was angry—that much was obvious. He could feel it pushing against him, the anger; she was quite fierce in it—he was impressed by her commitment to it.

He wanted to throw her off slightly so he asked, "Ella…who? What is your last name?" He placed one leg over the other and continued, "You see, when I took you to the hospital the staff asked me a whole bunch of questions I realized I was completely clueless to." He lifted his shoulders up and gestured to her with his hand, "The most surprising of my blunders was your last name. So…what is it?"

Ella's brows furrowed as she sat straight up in the bed, "You took me to a hospital?"

Klaus ignored her question, "You don't seem like you'd be a simple last name kind of woman; I doubt your last name is a Jones or a Smith—that's way too plain for someone as interesting as you."

"You're not going to answer my question until I tell you what my last name is; that's the game we're playing here, right?" Ella asked in an annoyed tone.

Klaus simply bowed his head in the affirmative.

"It's Stenalden, that's my last name."

"Ella Stenalden—certainly has a distinguished sound to it, a bit snobby even." Klaus mocked. "Do you have a middle name as well?"

"Carina is my middle name." Ella paused for a moment, "Now will you tell me why you took me to the hospital?"

Klaus interjected his thoughts, "Interesting, did you know that the name Carina means beloved—as in what the word carissimi means as well?"

Ella sighed, "I hadn't made the connection until now, so no…I did not know that."

Klaus looked up at her and made eye contact, "No, of course you didn't." He clasped his hands together, "Oh yes, I was going to tell you about the hospital."

Ella rolled her eyes at how now he finally wasn't ignoring her question.

Klaus stood up and rubbed his hand against the back of his head, "To make a long story short, after you were stabbed I tried to heal you with my blood; your body rejected it so I had to take you to a hospital. You were stabilized but had many complications that required invasive surgery—so I called in a favor from a different vampire and he healed you for me."

Ella was so confused that her body was able to shut him down like that—it was extraordinary what her body was able to do, but she knew that Klaus didn't have too many vampire friends…so she asked, "Which vampire did you call in a favor from?"

"You were bleeding out; your body was rejecting every possible option I had of saving you." Klaus looked down at the floor, "You left me with no options." His voice hardened, "Which is something I am never going to forgive you for."

Ella became frustrated, "Obviously modern medicine didn't fix me up; why are you so reluctant to tell me the name of the vampire?"

Klaus stood up and walked over to the window he had opened earlier—the light poured in and shone around his face, it seemed to relax him a little. After a few moments of just allowing the sun to soak into his skin; he finally answered, "Damon. It was Damon who saved you."

"But…but you killed his brother." Ella swallowed back the memories, "I'm sure he would have realized that if he didn't help me…that would lead to your demise via the carissimi curse."

Klaus turned to face her, "Oh yes, I'm quite sure he thought of that."

Ella's face shone in confusion, "But…why would he save me then?"

Klaus' eyes hardened, "I made a deal, an offer he couldn't refuse. I couldn't risk you dying so I had to appeal to the only part of Damon that can be persuaded to do anything."

Ella was quiet for a few moments, "Are you talking about Elena?"

Klaus smirked, "Yes, the dear doppelgänger has quite the effect on Damon. As I'm sure you've deduced from your empathic abilities." Klaus flicked his hand in a carefree motion, "He's quite smitten with her—he'd do anything to be in her good graces."

Ella answered, "He saved me because Elena wouldn't want me to die, even at the cost of helping you—the monster who killed his brother."

"Monster?"…Klaus rolled his eyes, "Is that what you are calling me now?"

Ella ignored his question and just looked at the ground. After a few moments she asked, "It doesn't make sense that he would save me just to get in Elena's good graces—he would want something more, especially since you plan to kill him soon."

Klaus gazed off in the distance and didn't say anything.

Ella's eyes widened in surprise and she deduced what the real reason was, "What?...Did, did you promise him…?" She got out of the bed and walked closer to Klaus' standing form, "Did you promise that you wouldn't hurt Elena?"

Klaus moved his eyes so they flickered over her form fleetingly—settling on looking everywhere else but her, "Yes, I made that deal." Klaus simply said.

Ella looked like she was in complete shock, "But…but…how are you going to become a hybrid?"

"I'm obviously not going to become one." Klaus angrily jabbed.

Ella continued to stare at Klaus in surprise, "So, what happens…now?" She hesitantly asked, "What are you going to do with me?"

"Well Ella Stenalden, you are free to go; with bodyguards of my choosing of course. I need to ensure you will stay safe and not…you know, die." Klaus stated in a semi-bored tone.

"You're letting me go, after all this time?" Ella asked incredulously.

"Of course…" Klaus shrugged his shoulders. "I have no interest in being a jailer; you serve no purpose for me now, nor are you in any danger to order me around with the curse thanks to my witch." He smiled, "I obviously can't kill you or else the curse will punish me. So that leaves me with only one option, to let you go."

Ella looked up at him with a bit of gratitude, "Thank you…I guess."

Klaus ignored her gratitude, "Pack anything you want to take with you; I will have your guards ready to take you to your apartment in three hours."

Ella shook her head, "I really don't need guards Klaus. I'll be fine; I'm not going to trip and fall into the pathway of an oncoming bus." She emphasized her words to try and get her point across, "Humans aren't as delicate as you think."

Klaus laughed, "Humans aren't as delicate as I think?" He locked eyes with her and coldly stated, "Do you know how many humans I've killed throughout my lifetime?" He didn't let her answer, "No of course you don't, I don't even know." He paused and then continued, "But what I do know is how easy it was to snap their tiny _delicate_ little necks, or how quickly their entire body could be drained of blood." His voice became more and more malicious as he continued with his descriptions.

Ella looked at the ground, "Stop it…" she trailed off.

"I know you are not exactly human Ella, but you are most certainly just as breakable and _delicate_."

Ella continued to look at the ground, not saying anything—her eyes lightly shone with unshed tears. Klaus could feel her anger, her humiliation, and her despair for how callously he had categorized humans.

Klaus continued, "I value my life; there are not a lot of things that can kill me. But since your life is tethered to mine, you _will_ have guards." He walked up and placed his finger under her chin so she was looking him directly in the eyes, "Do you understand?"

Ella nodded her head in defeat; but knew that this was not something she would put up with for long, much less the rest of her life.

Klaus didn't say anything after that and briskly walked out of the room to select guards for Ella.

* * *

><p>Three hours later Ella came down the stairs with everything she wanted to take back to her apartment all packed (the folded up carissimi painting that still puzzled her was safely tucked in her back pocket); she was anxious to go back to her apartment, back to her normal routine. In the living room, she found Klaus waiting with her with three men beside him—she could tell by their emotions that they were all vampires.<p>

Surprised, Ella asked, "The guards you are giving me are vampires?"

"Now Ella, there is no room for argumentative behavior; vampires will be better able to protect you and recognize danger than their inferior human counterparts. Also, it will be much harder for you to try and ditch them." Klaus condescendingly answered.

Ella huffed, "What am I supposed to tell my roommate Samantha?"

"Your guards are trained in being practically unnoticeable, but compulsion is always an option if such a situation should arise."

Ella shook her head, "Whatever, I just…I just want to go home." But then she suddenly thought of something she was missing, "Klaus where's my violin?" She slowed down the pace she was talking, as if she didn't want to say what came next, "Before…before you were torturing Stefan you said you'd retrieve it for me."

Klaus pointed to the side of the living room, the violin case was there—resting against a couch leg.

Ella walked over and picked it up; she was relieved that it was still intact and safe.

Klaus gestured to the guards, "Introductions are in order; Ella, meet Bernard, John, and Henry—I'm sure you will be seeing a lot of each other."

Ella looked them over; there weren't really any distinguishing characteristics, they all looked almost exactly the same—even their height, which was definitely over 6 feet, was practically the same. Ella thought they looked like one big blur of a single person, which she supposed was their function. But Ella hoped that Klaus didn't expect her to memorize who each of them were, she just wanted to get on with her life and ignore their existence and hope that there would eventually be no reason for them.

Eventually Ella nodded her head at the introduction and turned to exit out of Klaus' house, gesturing with her hand for the guards to come with her. They each scrambled over to her and took her luggage and followed her out the door.

"Be safe Ella!" Klaus called out, not expecting her to answer back.

And she didn't.

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><p><strong>AN: If you could give me a healthy dose of reviews, that would be much appreciated. :) What do you think is going to happen next? What do you think about Klaus essentially giving up being a hybrid for her? <strong>

**Thank you so much to all the people who reviewed last chapter: ILoveYou1978, quidditchandsonicscrewdriver s, NoseInANovel, Mrs. Barnes, Egyptian Kiss, and my anonymous reviewers. It means a lot, so thank you. :)**

**NoseInANovel:** Yeah, it was kinda necessary for where I wanted to go with the story in that moment. Klaus was angry and hurt that she couldn't understand where he was coming from, plus it was a particularly evil moment for him. I'm glad you are enjoying the story though, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as well.

**quidditchandsonicscrewdriver s: **Thank you for your review. I think I agree with your assessment of how I portray Klaus (lots characteristics intact and the OOC bits...); to be honest, I kinda like the freedom OC stories give in that regard. I don't have to worry about following the storyline, but still get to retain some of the characteristics of the character that I love. It's pretty fun, I hoped you liked the new chapter.


	12. The Nightmares Of Our Sleep

**AN: Hello everyone! It's been quite a bit of a wait, but I have a new chapter for you. This chapter was a little hard for me to write, but I think it accomplished what I wanted it to do. So...happy reading. :)**

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><p>Ella settled into a semi-comfortable routine in the weeks after she left Klaus' house. She woke up, showered, ate, went to her classes at the University, tutored students learning to play the violin, and then went home and slept. Well, at least she tried to sleep; her nightmares kept on getting worse and worse—the helplessness, watching Klaus pull Stefan's heart from his chest, and then the searing pain in her abdomen. It was becoming too much, her dreams were becoming more and more detailed—the pain she felt from Stefan, his defeated resignation that he would never see Elena again; it was a never ending loop of sadness. She could tell her body was starting to feel the effects of it; she was more irritable and jumpy, but she reasoned that perhaps that was a combination of everything she experienced. She wasn't the same person after those few days with Klaus. <em>Gosh, was it really only a few days?<em>

Her roommate Samantha carried on like nothing was amiss—she didn't even ask her about the new white floral tattoos that were all across her body. It was like she didn't even see them; she wondered if Klaus had ordered her new guards to compel her not to notice them. That was another thing Samantha never seemed to notice, Ella's new guards. They constantly walked in and out of the apartment, always checking up on her—always making sure she didn't make any life-threatening mistakes. But Samantha seemed none the wiser. They followed her to her classes, to her tutoring lessons—everywhere. They were the ones that always rushed into her room when her nightmares that plagued her caused her to cry out and scream. But when Henry and John realize that her life isn't in danger they always maintain their distance, but Bernard seemed to take it upon himself to always gently wake her up. Ella knew through her empathic abilities that he felt sorry for her, compassion even. Through her time getting to know him she started to wonder why Bernard even worked for Klaus, she knew some of the things Klaus required him to do he didn't exactly agree with.

Ella had not been to see Elena or Damon after the whole incident with Stefan. She knew Elena was grieving and trying to be around those catastrophic emotions was probably not the wisest choice. Her body was really weak right now, she feared she would not be able to recover—she was also frightened that in some way Elena blamed her for everything that happened. Logically she knew it was all on Klaus, but 'what ifs' always danced in her mind; it didn't matter how hard she tried not to concentrate on it.

Ella was too absorbed into her thoughts to notice Samantha coming around the corner that when she finally did notice her she jumped—a small squeak came out of her in the process.

Samantha looked over at Ella; confused as to why she was so jumpy. She looked really tired; black circles underlined her eyes and her skin seemed really pale—more so than usual. "What's gotten into you?" She searched the floor for her backpack that she knew she left somewhere, "You're really jumpy. Is there something going on with you?" She located her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. She was already late for class, but she didn't mind waiting longer if Ella truly needed to talk about something.

Ella looked up at Samantha and slowly shook her head—her hair falling into her face. She swept a few pieces of her hair behind her ear again, "My classes are just getting harder—that's all." She gave what Samantha thought sounded like a fake laugh, "You know how Professor Hardy can get—the workload he gives is insane."

Samantha looked like she didn't believe her, "You're not sleeping. I hear you sometimes screaming in the night." Her eyes looked over Ella's tired body again, "You call out for a man named Klaus—for him to stop." She shifted her backpack over to her other shoulder, "Ella…who's Klaus?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Sammy." Ella stated quickly and dismissively. Her hands ran across her legs, "I don't even remember my dreams, haven't since I was a child."

Samantha snorted, "Well, that's bullshit." Then in a more serious tone she asked, "Did this Klaus guy, did he hurt you Ella?"

Ella sighed and was about to retort when Bernard entered in and walked straight over to Samantha. He placed his hands on her shoulders and locked eyes, "You will not remember the name Klaus, nor will you wake up in the middle of the night if Ella is screaming." In a bored tone he then continued, "Go to class now."

Immediately Samantha picked her car keys off the rack and exited out the door; no longer remembering anything about their conversation previously.

"Thanks Benny." Ella said softly. "I wasn't sure quite what to say."

Bernard raised an eyebrow, "Benny?" he asked disapprovingly. His forehead scrunched up as if he was analyzing whether the nickname fit with him or not.

Ella gave a small laugh, realizing no one had probably ever called him that before. It seemed like a really cute and innocent name—everything that his looks did not embody. He was extremely tall and muscular; there wasn't anything about him that made him look even slightly boyish. "Your full name is ridiculously old-fashioned. I recognize that you are a vampire and are thus probably pretty old, but still…I'd rather call you something more normal."

"So you've decided to call me Benny?" His expression immediately became distraught, although Ella knew he was just teasing with her. "I'm not _that_ old."

Ella lifted an eyebrow up, "Really?" She gestured for him to continue, "Prove it, what's your age?"

He seemed displeased that she was forcing him to answer, "six hundred and ninety-six." He mumbled uncomfortably.

Ella gasped, "That's even older than what I thought you would say." She gave a weak smile while walking over to the kitchen to make a sandwich—she realized she hadn't eaten in a while, her dreams and paranoia consumed all her thoughts. "That's the very definition old Benny."

"Not by vampire standards." He quickly defended. Bernard then carefully looked over her while she was trying to locate the cheese and meat in the fridge, "How long has it been since you've eaten something Ella?"

Ella didn't answer.

"Klaus…" Bernard noticed Ella flinched after he said Klaus' name, "_He_ has entrusted in me to keep you safe; if you have poor nutrition that will reflect badly on me."

Ella still didn't respond to his comment about her eating habits. It was none of his business and it most certainly wasn't Klaus'. She pulled some meat slices and cheese from out of the refrigerator and placed them on her sandwich. She forced herself to take a few bites, even though her mind was running a hundred miles a minute. Finally she got up the courage to ask Bernard something she'd been wondering ever since he first woke her from her terrible dreams. "Benny, why do you work for Klaus?"

She quickly observed his reaction to her question, she only noticed him tensing a little bit. She tried feeling for his emotions so she could guess if he would actually tell her, but at the moment he wasn't emoting anything in particular. When she had first met Bernard when Klaus introduced all three of her bodyguards, she had thought his features to completely blend in—that he had no distinguishable features. But as she examined him she realized she was wrong; his hair was jet-black, but had slight streaks of grey. She had first noticed his body mass and height, but as she was trying to elicit a response from him, she was examining his eyes—she had never noticed before that they were a pale yellow in color. _What a peculiar eye color. _

"I…I…have known Klaus for a long time." Bernard tried leaving it at that but Ella's eyes pleaded with him to continue. "Why are you enquiring Ella?"

"You're different than the other guards; you actually talk to me. You're nice—I can feel your emotions and you seem like you are a fairly good guy. The other guys don't care, you do." She continued trying to take bites of her sandwich, "It troubles me that you would align with someone so, so….cruel."

"Klaus is a complex man; as an Original, he's one of the oldest beings on this earth." Bernard paused and Ella could tell that he was trying to think of the best way to explain it to her. "He's seen a lot, he's done a lot, and a lot has been done to him." He held up his hands when he realized that Ella was about to say something, "I understand that a lot of what he does isn't a net-positive for the world."

Ella narrowed her eyes—her sandwich long forgotten, "Then why Benny?" Ella felt her eyes get slightly watery, "You've helped me so much these past weeks. You know I'm an empath, I can feel your kindness." She reached over and lightly touched his hand, "You have a good soul."

Bernard sighed and for a moment didn't respond, "Then trust that I have a good reason Ella." He moved his hand out of her grasp, "You'd have to ask Klaus yourself why he's earned my loyalty; it isn't really my place to tell."

Ella was not satisfied with that comment at all, but she didn't say anything and just slightly nodded her head knowing that it would be pointless to argue.

Bernard got up to leave the house, but hesitated as though he wanted to tell her something—he finally gave in, "I should warn you that he will probably come and visit you soon."

Ella's eyes widened in fear—she really didn't want to see him again, she could think of no reason why that would be necessary. Besides, wouldn't he want her to be in pain? She was the reason he could no longer pursue Elena and become a hybrid—he told her he hated her for that. Klaus had always scared Ella, but everything changed when she watched Klaus kill Stefan—that was the most terrified she had ever been of him. Logically she knew that he wouldn't kill her, but maybe….just maybe he'd find a way to make her suffer, she wouldn't put it past him. She wouldn't put _anything_ past him anymore.

Bernard recognized the fear in her eyes and tried to reassure her, "He can feel what you feel Ella—your nightmares, your pain. You not being able to sleep effectively in turn affects him, he's discussed options with us, but he told me recently that he'll probably visit with you soon if your nightmares don't stop." Bernard looked at Ella, her fear and silence still filled the room.

Finally Ella responded, "It won't help, it'll just make it worse." Her eyes looked up at him, "Tell him it won't help."

Bernard grimaced, "You know I can't do that Ella, besides you know what you're saying isn't actually true…is it?" He looked at her pointedly—knowing she was about to deny what he just said.

Still looking at him, Ella pursed her lips at his answer, "Are you referring to me being his carissimi Benny?"

Bernard slowly nodded, "Your pain becomes his pain—he could potentially take your pain away." He then looked away from her, "Or at least that is how the saying goes."

Ella became angry, "I don't want him to take my pain away because of some voodoo curse!" She gritted her teeth, "I want to remember how monstrous he can be." A single tear slipped down her cheek, "I want to remember the pain and horror."

_"How does it feel to know that your brother is signing your death warrant?" Klaus taunted._

_Stefan weakly looked over at Klaus, "He's protecting Elena—I wouldn't want him to do anything less." He slowly moved his head to look over at Ella, "Remember this. Remember him as this…" He spat more blood onto the cement and then harshly said, "He's a monster—don't let him convince you he's anything different."_

_Ella shook the chains around her arms a little and nodded, "I…I won't."_

_Klaus side-stepped into Stefan's view of Ella, "Are you ready Stefan?"_

_Stefan looked up at Klaus—resigned to his fate, "Ella, if you see Elena again…tell her, tell her I love her."_

_Ella brokenly started crying, "Klaus…"_

_"Do what you will…" Stefan muttered to Klaus._

_Klaus smirked, "I always do mate." He then plunged his hand into Stefan's chest and gripped his beating heart. He squeezed it a little, "See you in another lifetime." Klaus then yanked Stefan's heart out of his body, throwing the now lifeless heart to the other side of the room…right in front of Ella's feet._

_Ella looked down at the heart in gaping horror as Stefan's form greyed into nothingness._

Ella came out of her trance and stared at Bernard, "It haunts me Benny…as it should."

Bernard nodded and continued on his way out the door to his post with Henry and John, "I never said it shouldn't. I just wanted to warn you that he'll probably come by soon." With those last words he left Ella's apartment and the door shut behind him.

Ella continued on with her day; classes, work, but then came the dreaded night. She always tried to stay up as late as she could, hoping for less hours of torture; less moments of reliving one of the worst things she ever felt or witnessed. She sat down on her couch and turned on the TV, hoping to get absorbed into some pointless show so her brain wouldn't recognize how tired she actually was.

"You know, I'm no expert love…but I'm fairly certain that refusing your body the sleep it needs isn't the healthiest choice."

Startled, Ella jumped and quickly looked over to the corner where she heard the voice—Klaus' voice. She hadn't heard him come in; she hated how easy it was for him to sneak up on her. Part of his body was hidden in the shadows, but her eyes could make out that he was leaning against her corner wall, staring at her disapprovingly. She quickly turned her TV off and stood up, taking a few steps back to maintain her distance from him.

"Can you please just leave?" She started pleading, "I honestly don't want any trouble. Benny said you'd visit, but…but, I'm fine…I'm okay." She had her hands out in front of her, as if to stop him from coming any nearer.

Klaus looked her over—taking in her more fragile-looking body than what he remembered. Her eyes had dark-black circles under them and her entire body was slightly shaking—whether from her body's weakness or her fear of him, he didn't quite know or care to think any further.

He continued on, "You are not exhibiting the correct healthy behaviors that we agreed to when I allowed you to leave my house with guards." He vampire sped so he was only a few inches away from her face, "So let's make a plan on how to rectify this."

Ella nervously bit her lip—she hadn't stopped shaking, "I…I'm fine Klaus. Please leave."

Klaus smirked, "You're fine?...Fine? That's your plan, to stand there and lie to me?" Klaus chuckled and then continued, "I find it highly amusing that your definition of fine is being afraid of your own shadow and purposefully sleep-depriving yourself." he stated fairly harshly toward the end.

Ella looked off to the side and away from him, "Whose fault is that?" she asked quietly. He should know that there was nothing he could do to actually help her, him being here was pointless—completely pointless. She would never trust him to help her, even though his own life was dependent on it—she knew that wouldn't actually stop him if he decided to harm her. He was capable of anything if he got angry enough. She wished he would just leave her alone. "I…I just need time, eventually I'll be able to sleep again." She turned her head back so she could look him in the eyes, "Besides, it's only the fear of _your_ own shadow that has me afraid."

Klaus took a few purposeful steps forward, his hands dusted over her coffee table—perusing her selection of magazines that were splayed across it, "You've had time, but your pain is still just as strong as it was before." His hand ran across his hair and he looked her in the eyes, "I can't have it affecting me any longer Ella. Surely you understand that. It isn't the most pleasant feeling in the world to have your fear coursing through me." His eyes searched hers for understanding.

"Klaus, you can't just make me forget what you have done." Ella stated more annoyed now than scared at how demanding he was becoming.

"Oh no…I wouldn't _dream_ of it." He gave a small smile, "But I'm a vampire which means I can control your dreams. Also, according to the legends of the carissimi curse, I can potentially take away your pain." His eyes perused her entire body, she looked so frail and tired—he was going to do this whether she wanted him to or not; it's for her own good.

Ella looked confused, "What does that even mean? _Take away my pain_." She rubbed her hands over her eyes, "How does that even work?"

He walked over closer—trying not to scare her, his hands were slightly raised so she could see them. He wanted her to do this willingly. "I have no idea, but I'm willing to make the attempt."

"You're going to force me to do this even if I don't want to, aren't you?" Ella asked with a frown as she realized his intentions.

"You already know the answer to that." He held out his hand for her to take, "But first I have something important I wish to discuss with you." He gestured with his other hand for her to take his hand.

Ella conceded, shakily placing her hand in his as he led her over to the couch. They both sat down but he didn't let go of her hand, his grip wasn't too harsh but she knew if she tried to pull away it would hurt her.

Klaus' face slightly hardened as he got to the point, "I had a discussion with my witch about your tattoo."

"…And?" Ella asked hesitantly.

"Gretchen is as clueless as I am about what the ramifications of your stunt will actually be. That idiotic young witch should have warned you more about the dangers of interfering with the natural order—especially when it involves the spirits." Even in the dark, he could make out her tattoo glistening slightly, "The spirits marked you, the consequences are sure to be severe—I don't see how a good outcome is possible."

She thought about his answer for a moment, "No one can see it; not my classmates, roommate, or even my co-workers and students." She looked down at her arm—staring at her strange markings, "Did you compel everyone I know not to notice it?"

Klaus shook his head, "No, I have not. I would wager a guess that only supernatural beings can see it."

Ella nodded slowly, "I guess that makes sense." Her eyes looked away from her tattoo and back at Klaus, "I don't feel different."

"Be that as it may, if something peculiar or strange happens, you need to inform my guards immediately." He clenched his jaw, "This is a serious matter; the spirits aren't known to be forgiving."

Ella's mind flashed back to the vision of her gravestone, she wasn't ready to even contemplate that; let alone talk about it with Klaus. "I promise I will let you know if something strange happens."

"Gretchen will continue to look into it, but I don't really think much more can be done." He finally let go of her hand, "You have carelessly endangered yourself Ella—I only hope the consequences are not too severe."

Ella rubbed her hand, easing the tension from Klaus' grip on it, "I acted in accordance with my conscience. Whatever the consequences may be, I welcome them."

His hands curled into fists and his voice became more menacing as he went on, "You aren't the only one affected by these consequences. Whatever happens to you, will happen to me—perhaps symbolically, or even possibly literally." Ella was fairly certain she could see a vein in Klaus' neck bulge, "It was a reckless choice! What was even the point of giving up my pursuit of the doppelgänger in exchange for your life, when you yourself are so careless with your own?"

She realized she needed to calm him quickly, or things could get worse from here, "Please just calm down a little bit…okay?" Ella placed her hand on his cheek and tried to get him to look at her.

Klaus allowed her hand to turn his head to look head on at her; his expression was the angriest she had ever seen him be at her, "You destroyed my life's work—I will never become a hybrid because of you." He gritted his teeth, "I may not be able to harm you because of our….connection, but just know that I will never forgive you…ever."

Ella furrowed her face in confusion, "I didn't ask to be stabbed and I most certainly didn't ask for you to throw away the medical community and heal me by supernatural means by making a deal with Damon!" She continued on when she noticed Klaus was going to interrupt, "You are already the most powerful being on this planet—you're immortal in the truest sense of the word." She sighed and dropped her hand down from his cheek, "What would be the point of grabbing even more power?"

"I have many enemies…"

Ella shook her head, "No, don't give me that excuse. You are already more powerful than anything—no one could defeat you." She tiredly looked at Klaus, "I may not be able to feel your emotions because I'm your carissimi, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that you are lonely."

Klaus turned his head away from her—looking at the ground.

"Becoming a hybrid means that you would have the ability to turn others into hybrids, which means that you'd have others that understand you." She looked at his dejected face that was staring at the ground and knew she had hit the jack pot, "These potential hybrids would be loyal to you—they'd be your family." Ella watched as Klaus closed his eyes—seemingly at war with himself, "And in your eyes, whether it was my fault that your sister stabbed me or not—my very presence...and our um, connection got in the way of your life-long dreams."

He didn't respond; his eyes were still tightly shut.

"While I wouldn't agree with the sheer destruction and murders you would have to commit to become a hybrid—I'm…I'm, sorry…" Ella trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

Klaus' eyes flew open in surprise and he stared at her, unable to say anything.

Ella bit her lip, nervous as to what he was going to do next. But his actions surprised her as he stood up and swept her off the couch and into his arms as if she weighed nothing—walking calmly into the direction of her bedroom.

"Wait…what, what are you doing Klaus?" Ella asked, her fear starting to creep back into her.

"I'm going to help you sleep little one." His foot pushed against her bedroom door and it swung wide open; he walked over and carefully placed her on the bed, scooting a chair in the corner closer to the bed. He sat in the chair and then took her hand in his, "We have to be holding hands for it to work. Any preference for what you dream about?"

"No…no, I don't need help going to sleep." But Ella knew this was going to be a losing battle—he'd win eventually.

"Yes you do. I'm not going to harm you Ella, but your body needs sleep." He sighed, "Just…please don't fight me on this."

Ella looked at her hand clasped in Klaus' and wondered if she could get something out of the situation, "I'll willingly consent if you promise to truthfully answer a question of mine."

He cocked his head to the side in agreement, but he knew from the amount of curiosity in her eyes that he wasn't going to like her question.

"Why does Benny…I mean, Bernard work for you?" She continued on in a slightly quieter tone, "I've felt his emotions—I've been around him enough in the past couple of weeks to pick up on the fact that he's different from the usual bad guys that blindly follow you." She saw Klaus' mouth tighten but he didn't say anything, "Klaus, he has a soul…a good one."

She wasn't sure Klaus would answer her, he had no reason to—he could force a dream on her even if she didn't want one. So she was surprised when Klaus hesitantly started answering her, "You know the saying, 'you can't choose your family…' and then people usually follow with some sentimental rubbish about how family will always be there for you?"

Ella reluctantly nodded her head, unsure as to where Klaus was heading.

"At a particularly low point in my vampire lifespan I stumbled upon Bernard. I had daggered most of my family because of their betrayals and lack of loyalty." He smirked and took his hand out of hers and folded his arms across his lap. "In the 1300s, the Black Death—the plague, had been decimating villages—people were scared and frightened, unsure of how or why the disease was spreading so quickly. They were mass dumping dead bodies, but some…some of them were still alive."

Ella's eyes widened, "Benny…"

Klaus nodded, "Yes, his family and people discarded him before he was even dead. They didn't say any goodbyes; they just threw his sick body onto the pile of dead ones heading out to be discarded." Klaus looked at Ella's horrified form and laughed, "Oh come on love; it was the plague. People were frightened and for good reason, anyone who stayed around the sick long enough always ended up getting sick too. And the survival rate was absolutely abysmal."

Ella shook her head, "I know, I've had history lessons in school about it, it was terrible. But…they were his family."

"No. A real family is composed of individuals who care for each other, encourage growth, and are loyal…no matter what." Klaus' voice stilled and Ella could hear the ticking from her clock hanging on the wall. After about a minute, he continued, "Bernard's hand reached out to me, pleading with me that he was still alive and to not leave him with all the dead bodies."

"What made you save him?" Ella asked confused by the story. "You obviously had no compassion toward human life, or any life for that matter. What made him different?"

Klaus looked dazed as if he was remembering back to the moment, "You're right, I looked upon that pile of diseased bodies and I felt nothing." His voice took a slightly harsh tone, "I couldn't care less whether twenty-five or even fifty percent of the population was suddenly no more. They were fearful and weak, but I was fearless and superior—they meant absolutely nothing to me."

"Then why?" Ella whispered; she didn't want to do anything to make him even angrier.

Klaus looked straight on at Ella; his head suddenly clear from his musings on the past, "Because I saw myself in Bernard in that moment."

Ella's mind started racing and she sat up straighter on the bed, "So you made him indebted to you? If he vowed loyalty to you…you'd save him?"

"No!" The words burst from his mouth as though she had entirely missed his point. "I saw…a man who didn't have anyone, a lonely man swimming among the dead. He was tossed to the side as though he held no significance for his family." He sighed and tapped her hand to get her full attention, "I saw an opportunity; an opportunity to have a confidante, to have someone who understood me at least a little, I saw the potential….for family."

Too stunned to stay anything, Ella lowered her head to the headboard of her bed.

"I pulled him from the carnage and gave him a choice…a choice to heal but potentially become sick again, or to be indestructible and never ever have to worry about disease again." He smiled, "In my opinion, he chose the better option. I made him a vampire and took him under my wing."

"You manipulated him." Ella stated sadly.

"No, love…we respected each other too much for that. Sure, he might feel some loyalty toward me, but we were all each other had for years…that's why he does things for me, even though he might not like it." Klaus stopped for a moment and then started again, "But if he truly didn't want to do something….I wouldn't make him."

"So you're saying he's his own man…free will and all."

Klaus stared at Ella's eyes that were starting to become droopier, she would need to sleep soon—her body was fighting her for it. "Obviously since you can feel his emotions…you know that he doesn't always agree with me. Sometimes he even disobeys me, but since we are true family…I allow it." Klaus quickly changed the subject, "Whether I've sated your curiosity or not, you need to sleep."

Ella nodded and scooted down the bed so her head was lying on the pillow, "Thank you for answering me Klaus."

He ignored her thanks, "Any preference for your dreams?"

"Maybe a...a nice beach somewhere," Ella mumbled as she started to drift off into sleep.

She thought she heard Klaus whisper something before the world became dead to her. It sounded a lot like, "As you wish..."

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><p><strong>AN: So...what did you think? Also, thank you SOOOO much for all the people that take the time to review-it means so much and it helps a lot. You guys that do that are absolutely fabulous...so thank you. :)<strong>

** .1884, That Vampire Freak, InaBenihime, NoseInANovel, Mrs. Barnes, and all the anonymous guests.  
><strong>

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><p><strong> .1884: I am not a Latin scholar by any means, so maybe...possibly it could be spelled like that. But according to everything I've looked up (and google translate) it keeps telling me 'Carissimi'. <strong>

**That Vampire Freak: I'm trying, I'm trying! :)**

**NoseInANovel: There might certainly be room for Katherine to wander into Mystic Falls in the future, you're right it certainly does sound plausible. But probably not anytime soon, Ella's had a lot of close near-death mishaps. Haha. :)**

**InaBenihime: Thank you. I find it easier to write for him when I imagine exactly how he would sound if he was to say it. **

**Mrs. Barnes: Haha, oh the sacrifice...You never know, there are plenty of twists and turns coming. And thanks, I'm trying to get the ball moving on this story. **

**Guest: You're right, Klaus is definitely in danger of losing everything. But I think the controlling part of him is just to ingrained into his character for it to ever be squashed out completely. **

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	13. The White Hat

**AN: So, I know it's been a long time. Hopefully people following this story remember the plot. Please take the time to review when you're finished. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing even remotely related to The Vampire Diaries. **

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><p>The sound of crashing waves and the feel of grainy sand beneath her feet were the first clues Ella had before she opened her eyes. Klaus had followed her wishes; she opened her eyes and smiled, she was dreaming of a beach with a beautiful sunset off in the distance. It was the same beach she went to with her family every year before they died. <em>How had he known?<em>

She was marveling over all her happy memories of this beach when she noticed movement off to the left of where she stood. Startled, she quickly turned her head and was met with Klaus—a few feet away, shuffling his own bare feet in the sand.

"I apologize for interrupting your dream." He slowly raised his hands up to show he had no ill intent, "Whenever I control dreams, I'm always in them. My intention isn't to force my presence on you."

Ella nodded, believing his words. "It's…alright, I guess."

He didn't say anything after that and continued shuffling his feet through the sand—his hands in his pockets. It was the least menacing and most boringly normal thing she had ever seen him do. She couldn't help but be fascinated with his posture and feet movements. She examined his face and could see no anger riddling his features. And his facial expressions looked like the very definition of neutral, as if he was thinking about absolutely nothing. No diabolical evil plans, no anger at the world for his failures, no resentment towards her for the carissimi curse….just, nothing.

"You're staring." Klaus plainly stated, as if it was a fact he didn't feel one way or another about.

Ella blushed, embarrassed that she had let him catch her staring. "I…I guess, I've just never really imagined what you would look like….without your shoes on. You are normally so menacing, so to see you acting different….I don't know, it's a bit disconcerting to say the least."

"If it helps, technically you still have never seen me without my shoes on…this is after all, just a dream." He teased, looking up with a smirk on his face.

Ella smiled at his playfulness—too afraid to think of the implications of that, she quickly added, "It helps."

He gave a curt nod and then walked closer to the waves lapping up at the sand—the water rolled over his feet and the sand shifted significantly, but his position never changed. "I would imagine this beach has many pleasant memories for you. Your subconscious was practically screaming at me to show it to you." His position didn't change as he looked out at the ocean, his back to Ella.

Ella frowned, "My subconscious?"

"Do not fret; it is not a mind-reading trick, your thoughts are safe—when I control dreams, the subconscious always subtly hints at what the dreamer wants." He gestured to the imagery around him, "You wanted a beach, so I simply paid attention to the images your subconscious was throwing at me—allowing it to shape the dream."

Ella walked closer over to Klaus—her own feet now being lapped over with water. "Thank you." She said barely above a whisper, her tone filled with gratitude.

His eyebrows only raised slightly in surprise, not reacting to her thanks in any other way.

They stood still for a few more moments just watching the waves wash up to the shore, "May I ask you a question Ella?" Klaus asked, breaking their peaceful silence.

Ella glanced over at Klaus from the corner of her eyes; he was staring at her strangely—as though he was deeply puzzled or disturbed over something. His gaze held a certain fierceness, but his mouth...it was slightly gaping in a way that made it seem like he was troubled and wanted to say something.

"Alright?..." Ella's voice ended on a question; she was almost too afraid to think about what he might ask her.

"Do you…do you, really think me a monster?" His gaze intensified, "Someone incapable of redemption or goodness?"

Ella's eyes widened in surprise at the strange question she never expected to hear. She didn't think he pondered morality or other people's perception of him.

"I mean, I am correct in assuming that is why you can't sleep well? You are afraid of me and the horrors I can potentially inflict."

"I…I don't know." Ella stuttered. "Do you think you are capable of goodness Klaus?"

He smirked, "I would imagine it would depend on the very definition of 'goodness' love. There are too many variations on morals and what is good or bad for me to answer that question."

Ella scoffed, annoyed at his deferral from the question. "Then what makes you think I would be able to answer it?"

"Because I'm not a person who has a clear set of rules, but you obviously do." He examined her eyes, "Do you think I'm doomed to hell for my actions?"

Ella debated on whether or not to answer, but he seemed sincere in his questioning. "No Klaus, I don't think there is a hell. I think this life is it, and the most important thing we can do is make the most of our present moments."

"And how would you make the most of your present moments?" Klaus tentatively asked.

"I suppose I would accomplish that by being kind, generous, and selfless whenever I see opportunities that present themselves."

Klaus smiled lazily, "Well I am certainly none of those things little one. By that very definition, I suppose you do see me as a monster."

"Why do you care how I see you Klaus?" Ella asked, looking at him suspiciously.

Klaus gaped a little and seemed to struggle to find the correct words, "I…it would be most difficult and unpleasant to spend the rest of my days with someone who despises my very being."

Ella sighed and looked down at the sand. "I don't despise you."

"You think me a monster, how does that not equate to you despising me?"

A single tear fell down Ella's cheek, surprising Klaus. She looked back up at him, taking a few steps closer to where he stood. "Wouldn't it actually be the other way around? I haven't forgotten when you said you were incapable of forgiving me! Because of me, you can no longer become a hybrid….doesn't that equate with despise-like feelings?"

Klaus could feel her potent despair; he reached over and brushed the tear off her face, his eyes softening slightly in the process. "Calm yourself little one, I know what I said before." His hand hovered on her chin, "But I've also come to realize that it wasn't your fault. I'm angry at the circumstances…yes, but my anger does not solely rest on you."

Ella's eyes watered at his admission. "I…I made the deal with Damon because the price was too steep to pay if I lost you." Klaus continued, his finger lightly tracing her face, "I didn't trust medicine to bring you back to me, and in those moments….I needed a guarantee."

Ella nodded, "I'm a burden to you." She stated as fact. "Your one chink of weakness in your armor of immortality."

"I suppose that would be a more accurate description." Klaus confirmed, his finger falling away from her face.

"Oh yes…most accurate indeed." Ella drawled out sarcastically. She certainly didn't expect a nice answer, but she was caught off guard by his bluntness in how much she indeed was a burden. She even felt a little anger; it's not like the universe consulted with her about being the one and only weakness to the all-powerful Niklaus Mikaelson.

Klaus' eyes shifted to examining her face; he could feel the irritation radiating off of her. And for some strange reason, he felt compelled to quell it, "There's no need to be offended little one. I did not mean for my comment to upset you." He sighed when his words did nothing to soothe her emotions, "You must understand…I have never in all my years of existence been attached to anything or anyone. I suppose maybe my family could count, but this is different…you are different." He looked back at the waves; their calm monotony gave him the courage to say what needed to be said. "Don't be angry at me love; be angry at whoever controls the cosmos—whoever decided that it would be a good idea to have someone so good natured, sweet, and above all…_innocent_ be forever attached to a man who is malicious, dark, and cruel."

Ella's lips quivered at his words, "There's no rule stating that you have to fall in line with that idea of yourself—you alone control your destiny; you do have power over your actions." She lightly touched her hand to his chest, trying to get him to make eye contact with her. When he finally looked at her, she whispered, "You don't have to be the bad guy."

Klaus glanced down at her hand resting on his chest, "I am what I am Ella; you will never understand why I do the things I do, I understand and accept that." He pulled her hand from his chest and started tracing small circles over the back of her hand. "Even if I wanted to be a changed man, the cosmos sealed my fate when they forced us together."

Ella's brows furrowed, "I don't understand…"

Klaus abruptly interrupted, "This curse…the legend of the carissimi; you've already potentially put your life at risk in fear of being controlled and manipulated by me." He glared at her white, translucent tattoo that extended across her body to make his point. "I…I know that eventually this curse will corrupt my mind—take over and seize everything that makes me who I am. I'll become more and more attached to you….more and more obsessed." He stopped for a moment to think of the best way to clarify his point, "Love, I…do crazy things when I have an obsession. And if you become my obsession, I'm going to eventually hurt you…it's just a fact." Klaus suddenly dropped her hand as if it burned him, "I'm a very bad guy little one—I'm _the_ bad guy."

Ella forced herself to remain calm; she had avoided thinking about all of the ramifications of the carissimi curse. In all honesty, the future was one big, scary black hole. This change in her life was permanent—Klaus would always remain a fixture in her life (taking aside her possible imminent death in the future vision she hijacked from Gretchen). Ella admitted to herself that she had definitely been in denial about that fact—her connection to Klaus was never going to dissipate. Her life was never going to be normal again. While that honesty pained her, she realized it was better to be more real and honest about their situation and both of their futures.

Ella pulled in a deep breath to gather courage, "I think you might be lying to yourself. I think everything you are saying about being so inherently evil—might be complete and utter bullshit."

Klaus' eyes widened in indignation; how dare she disrespect him _so_ strongly when he only tried to forewarn her of the future. How _dare_ she accuse him of lying!

Ella held up a hand, "Before you jump into a tirade, I beg you to allow me to explain."

Klaus gritted his teeth in frustration, but nodded his consent.

"I've been asking a lot of vampires about the carissimi curse; stories they were told, various legends, rules of the curse, etc. And to be honest, I'm having a hard time believing why it is even referred to as a curse." Ella looked into his now curious eyes and continued, "Not once did anyone ever explain it as an obsession or that naturally the vampire was destined to hurt the 'human'. But in all cases, everyone I asked explained it as a powerful and deep love. That there would be joy, so much so…that having that person hurt or losing one half of the bond to death—would be completely and utterly devastating."

Klaus laughed, he couldn't believe how naïve Ella was being.

"Klaus, an obsession isn't the same as love. They are completely different things."

Still laughing, Klaus forced himself to stop so he could respond, "You think the future actually entails me falling in love with _you_?"

Ella frowned and closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for a hateful tirade Klaus was about to unleash.

But it didn't come. "Ella…will you please open your eyes?" Klaus asked somewhat softly.

She bit her lip and slowly opened her eyes to face Klaus—expecting him to look at least a little angry.

But instead, he just looked exasperated…as if he didn't quite know what to say. Eventually, he tried to put his thoughts into words, "I have no idea what love is—I've never experienced it and to be honest, I have no need of it. If the curse somehow makes me say that I love you, just know that my mind is not my own." He paused, "I'm not saying that to hurt or upset you; it's just the parts of love I can comprehend—repel me, it is the truest form of weakness."

Ella couldn't stand to look at him any longer so she broke off their eye contact and just stared at the sand—imaging it swirling into a hole and pulling her under so she didn't have to stand here and listen to him talk about being weak any longer. Back when Klaus took her to Gretchen's house, she had seen a possible future, she certainly didn't know if it was _the_ future…but it had shown Klaus and her happy—seemingly in love.

"….And Ella, I will never be a weak man."

Ella quickly nodded, still not looking at him. "I understand."

Klaus tilted his head in curiosity, "To be perfectly frank Ella, I…I'm surprised you even mentioned the possibility. I know full well that in your eyes, I will never come out in a positive light. I'm a murderer—and a purposeful one at that." His eyes narrowed at her continued staring at the ground, "Even if the curse isn't a curse and I eventually truly feel love-like emotions, you would never love me in return. I've committed too many horrors and atrocities and I am not a repentant man."

He gently moved Ella's chin so she was looking at him, "You know full well that I have no guilt for my actions. You could never love a monster like me."

Ella tried to find her voice, but all she could manage was awful hoarse-like squeak, "You're right Klaus." She cleared her throat, "If I was to set aside my principles and moral convictions, it would go against everything I believe in. I could never see myself doing that."

Klaus nodded, "Good, then I suppose we understand each other."

"Yes, I suppose we do." Ella softly stated.

Klaus backed a few steps away and motioned toward the ocean, "I apologize for intruding so much in a dream that was supposed to be peaceful and pleasant for you." He sighed and rubbed a hand across his face, "I swear to you that I never intended to upset you. I can feel the conflict raging within you. I promise that from now on whenever you need me to conjure a dream for you; I will always stay in the shadows."

Ella sat down in the sand, "There's no need to apologize; everything that was said in our conversation needed to be laid out on the table."

Klaus didn't say anything to that, he just slowly slipped away into the shadows—just like he said he would. But Ella knew he was still there, watching her…making sure that her good dream held and all the bad ones were chased away. He was her knight—if only for this brief moment. He deserved to know that. If only to prove that his perception of himself was at least somewhat warped.

She whispered; knowing that his superior hearing would pick up her words, "You're not all monster." In a slightly louder voice she continued, "Even though it is a self-serving purpose, you're saving me tonight. Wearing the proverbial white hat doesn't look so bad on you."

Ella didn't speak after that, she just allowed herself to calm to the rhythm of the waves—letting her mind wander into nothingness. She hoped that when she awoke her body would be significantly less tired than usual.

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><p>Ella opened her eyes to sunlight streaming through her window; her body felt a million times better than it did last night, Klaus conjuring a good dream for her really did help. She smiled and looked around her room, he was nowhere in sight—Ella realized he must have left just before she woke up. As Ella stretched, getting ready to leave her bed…she noticed something odd in the corner of her eye—a piece of rolled up paper perched on her nightstand with a red bow tied around it.<p>

Nervously, Ella reached for it…it had to be from Klaus; her guards only entered her room if she was screaming during a nightmare (and that certainly didn't happen last night). Why would Klaus leave something for her? Ella picked it up off her nightstand and quickly untied the bow—unrolling the piece of paper in the process.

It took a few moments for Ella to comprehend what she was seeing. _When did he find the time to draw this?_ It was a black and white shaded drawing of her and Klaus on the beach—in the drawing, Ella was handing Klaus a white hat and his fingertips were barely grazing it. The look on his face was hard with contempt, but his eyes held warmth as he was staring at her. She of course was smiling and carefree, practically pushing the white hat to go further into his grasp. In the bottom right hand corner there was fancy script: _If I ever did choose to wear the proverbial white hat—trust me little one, it would be fleeting moments far and few between…and only ever for you. _

Ella sucked in some much needed air. It was hard to believe that Klaus had drawn this…_for her_. She couldn't help but let a small smile grace her lips; the world seemed a little more manageable and a little less bleak.

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><p>Klaus sat in the den of his mansion; in one hand was a very strong drink. But it didn't matter how many he poured for himself—none of them had nursed his troubles away. He had absolutely no idea what had possessed him to make that drawing for Ella. Well that wasn't entirely true, he knew she would like it…and he had wanted to please her; he had wanted her to start her day with a smile. At that notion, Klaus threw his glass into the fire; he was completely frustrated with himself. He was making one poor decision after the other in regards to <em>her<em>. He needed more control; he needed to be wearier of his actions—he couldn't allow himself to be molded into someone he was not, or could never be. This curse was starting to affect him more than he wanted to admit. Maybe he could discuss more options with Gretchen; surely by now she had discovered something that could help _at least_ slow down the process of the curse!

Klaus thought back to his conversations with Ella in her dream. He truly didn't think of her as a naïve person, but when she had mentioned the possibility of love—he couldn't help but think of her that way. Perhaps it was the result of being bombarded with too many fairytale endings when she was young. Or maybe it was in her nature as an empath, the emotions and sentimentality of others clogging any hope for clarity in her mind. Klaus knew that regardless of how their story ended, it wouldn't result with him being a reformed man. If the curse even tried, he would fight tooth and nail the entire way until he got what he wanted….which was ultimately to still recognize and be himself.

A quiet knock from the den's door interrupted Klaus' inner monologue. His head snapped to attention as he saw Bernard slowly opening the door, his head peering in. He looked quite troubled.

"What is it Bernard?" Klaus really hoped it didn't have anything to do with Ella, he wasn't in the mood. "Ella is alright, is she not?" He would certainly feel it from the curse if she wasn't and at the moment all he was feeling from her were content feelings.

"No sir." Bernard quickly shook his head, but apprehension still lingered on his face. "It is actually of a different matter entirely."

"Well?" Klaus asked growing slightly impatient.

"It is Miss Rebekah. She has, she has returned to the mansion and wants to be let in. I tried telling her that it would not go over well, but she...she insists."

Klaus' eyes narrowed and pure anger surged through his body. "Well by all means…" Klaus gritted through his teeth while gesturing his arms open wide. "I wouldn't want to be rude to my dear sister by refusing her company—let her in Bernard."

Surprise quickly flickered through Bernard's features, "Sir, I'm not sure that is the best idea at the moment." The caution in his tone was very obvious; he didn't want to make Klaus any angrier, but he wanted...no _needed_ to protect Rebekah. His mind filtered through all the possibilities and landed on Ella. She would be able to stop Klaus' wrath, hopefully before too much damage was done.

Klaus snarled, "Let her in! _Now!_"

Bernard bowed his head in resignation; he knew it would be pointless to argue. Klaus would certainly not listen to any of his points—he was too far gone. Bernard could only hope Miss Rebekah knew exactly what she was walking into. The answer: an absolutely livid and vengeful Klaus. He could only hope that Ella would be receptive to helping Rebekah, before Klaus went too far into the depths of his revenge.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you so much to all the people that reviewed last chapter. It really did help me find the motivation to write this!<strong>

**blueberrytoast, Calliope's Scribe, Miss AlyB, Bianca. 101, cc, ILoveYou1978**

**Blueberrytoast: **Thank you so much! I'm definitely continuing and sticking with this story. I can't imagine abandoning it before it is finished. I mean, there is still a looooong way to go, it's going to be pretty long and I have a pretty good idea of where I want everything to end up.

**Bianca. 101: **Yeah, it is a bit difficult to keep Klaus in character, just because of who he essentially is. BUT I think there are definite moments where TVD writers have shown slivers of humanity and genuinely caring about someone. That's what I try to balance when I write him. I also imagine him repeating all the lines I give him, just to see if they are believable. If they are, I keep them...if not, I change it. Thank you so much for reviewing. :)

**ILoveYou1978: **I wish I updated more often too. I'm certainly going to stick with it, but it's kind of difficult to update fast. I don't know how other fanfic writers do it.


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